Bruna Dantas Lobato is a fiction writer and translator of Brazilian literature. Her translation of The Words That Remain by Stênio Gardel won the 2023 National Book Award for Translated Literature.^[1][2] Her translation of The Dark Side of Skin by Jeferson Tenório won an English PEN Translates Award,^[3] and her translation of Moldy Strawberries by Caio Fernando Abreu was longlisted for the PEN Translation Prize and the Republic of Consciousness Prize.^[4][5]

Her first novel, Blue Light Hours, was published in 2024 by Grove Atlantic in North America and will be translated into several languages.^{[6][7][8][9][10]} The Portuguese-language edition is forthcoming from Brazilian publisher Companhia das Letras in her own translation with the title Horas azuis.^[11][12][13] Her stories have been published in The New Yorker, Guernica, A Public Space, and The Common.^{[14][15][16][17]}

Dantas Lobato was born and raised in Natal, in the Northeast of Brazil.^[18] As a low-income high school student, she was selected to the United States Department of State and U.S. Embassy in Brazil exchange program Youth Ambassadors,^[19][20] which first brought her to the United States to study U.S. politics and youth leadership. As a Youth Ambassador to Brazil, Dantas Lobato visited the White House, where she met Michelle Obama.^[21][22]

She has an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University, an MFA in Literary Translation from the University of Iowa, and a BA in Literature from Bennington College.^[23][24]

In addition to translating Brazilian literature into English, Dantas Lobato an advocate for translators translating out of their heritage languages and has led panels on the topic.^[14][15][25]

Dantas Lobato currently serves on the board of directors of the American Literary Translators Association.^[16] She is an Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Grinnell College.^[26]

• 2019: Winner of PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grant for Moldy Strawberries by Caio Fernando Abreu^[17]
• 2022: Longlisted for Republic of Consciousness Prize for Moldy Strawberries by Caio Fernando Abreu^[5]
• 2023: Longlisted for PEN Translation Prize for Moldy Strawberries by Caio Fernando Abreu.^[4]
• 2023: Winner of English PEN Translates Award for The Dark Side of Skin by Jeferson Tenório^[3]
• 2023: Winner of National Book Award for Translated Literature for The Words That Remain by Stênio Gardel^[1]
• 2024: Longlisted for International Dublin Literary Award for The Words That Remain by Stênio Gardel^[18]

• Blue Light Hours (Grove Atlantic, 2024)
• "Snowstorm" (The New Yorker, 2022)
• "Reunion" (Guernica, 2022)
• "Diversions" (A Public Space, 2018)
• "Firsthand Account" (The Common, 2017)

• Moldy Strawberries by Caio Fernando Abreu (Archipelago Books, 2022)
• The Words that Remain by Stênio Gardel (New Vessel Press, 2023)
• The Collector of Heads by Ana Matsusaki (Tapioca Stories, 2023)
• The Dark Side of Skin by Jeferson Tenório (Charco Press, 2024)
• The Tokyo Suite by Giovana Madalosso (Europa Editions, 2025)
• (So What) If I'm a Puta by Amara Moira (Feminist Press, 2025)
• There's No Point in Dying  by Francisco Maciel (New Vessel Press, 2026)
• No Dragons in Paradise by Caio Fernando Abreu (Archipelago Books, 2026)
• Niterói Lights by Marcello Quintanilha (Fantagraphics, 2026)