Rebecca Pawel
Encyclopedia
Rebecca Pawel is an American high school teacher and author of mystery novels
. She is most notable for her series of historical novels
set in fascist Spain, starring Carlos Tejada Alonso y León, a staunchly anti-Communist
officer in the Guardia Civil.
while studying flamenco
and classical Spanish dance in junior high school. She graduated from Stuyvesant High School
in 1995, where she furthered her interest in Spain during a school trip to Madrid. In her undergraduate studies at Columbia University
she majored in Spanish-language literature
, with a concentration in the literature of the Iberian peninsula
. She received her masters
from Teachers College
in 2000.
Pawel has said that she never intended to start writing mysteries, and came upon the idea almost by accident. In the summer of 2000, while on vacation in Spain, Pawel sent an e-mail to her college professor, Persephone Braham, asking if she could pick her up anything while she was there. Braham requested she bring back some murder mysteries set in Madrid
. When Pawel confessed she couldn't think of any such mysteries, but that a mystery set in the Spanish capital after Franco
's siege would be a great idea, Braham suggested Pawel go ahead and write it. Eight weeks later, Pawel completed the manuscript for Death of a Nationalist.
At age 24, Pawel was signed by Soho Press, a publisher of mysteries set in exotic locations, on the strength of her first two manuscripts, Death of a Nationalist and Law of Return.
In 2004, Death of a Nationalist won the Edgar Award
for "Best First Novel". It was also nominated for the Macavity Award at Bouchercon
, and was a finalist for the LA Times
Book Prize. Death of a Nationalist was originally conceived as a stand-alone mystery, but became the foundation for an entire series of novels centered around the character of Carlos Tejada Alonso y León.
The first Spanish-language edition of Death of a Nationalist appeared in 2005.
Pawel teaches English at the The High School for Enterprise, Business and Technology in Williamsburg
, Brooklyn
.
She recently finished the first draft of an as-yet untitled novel set in Renaissance Flanders
in 1577.
, Dorothy Sayers and Terry Pratchett
, the latter of whom she has called "a genius" and her "gold standard for writing".
She has also mentioned several other influences specific to the "Tejada" series, such as Delano Ames
' The Man in the Tricorn Hat, and Carmen Martín Gaite
's El cuarto de atrás (aka The Back Room).
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
. She is most notable for her series of historical novels
Historical fiction
Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...
set in fascist Spain, starring Carlos Tejada Alonso y León, a staunchly anti-Communist
Anti-communism
Anti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...
officer in the Guardia Civil.
Biography
Pawel began to develop an interest in the Iberian peninsulaIberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
while studying flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
and classical Spanish dance in junior high school. She graduated from Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
in 1995, where she furthered her interest in Spain during a school trip to Madrid. In her undergraduate studies at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
she majored in Spanish-language literature
Spanish literature
Spanish literature generally refers to literature written in the Spanish language within the territory that presently constitutes the state of Spain...
, with a concentration in the literature of the Iberian peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. She received her masters
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
from Teachers College
Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College, Columbia University is a graduate school of education located in New York City, New York...
in 2000.
Pawel has said that she never intended to start writing mysteries, and came upon the idea almost by accident. In the summer of 2000, while on vacation in Spain, Pawel sent an e-mail to her college professor, Persephone Braham, asking if she could pick her up anything while she was there. Braham requested she bring back some murder mysteries set in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
. When Pawel confessed she couldn't think of any such mysteries, but that a mystery set in the Spanish capital after Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
's siege would be a great idea, Braham suggested Pawel go ahead and write it. Eight weeks later, Pawel completed the manuscript for Death of a Nationalist.
At age 24, Pawel was signed by Soho Press, a publisher of mysteries set in exotic locations, on the strength of her first two manuscripts, Death of a Nationalist and Law of Return.
In 2004, Death of a Nationalist won the Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
for "Best First Novel". It was also nominated for the Macavity Award at Bouchercon
Bouchercon
Bouchercon, the Anthony Boucher Memorial World Mystery Convention, is an annual convention of creators and devotees of mystery and detective fiction. It is named in honour of writer, reviewer, and editor Anthony Boucher....
, and was a finalist for the LA Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
Book Prize. Death of a Nationalist was originally conceived as a stand-alone mystery, but became the foundation for an entire series of novels centered around the character of Carlos Tejada Alonso y León.
The first Spanish-language edition of Death of a Nationalist appeared in 2005.
Pawel teaches English at the The High School for Enterprise, Business and Technology in Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
, Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
.
She recently finished the first draft of an as-yet untitled novel set in Renaissance Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
in 1577.
Influences
Pawel is an admirer of the works of Ellis PetersEdith Pargeter
Edith Mary Pargeter, OBE, BEM , also known by her nom de plume Ellis Peters, was a British author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her translations of Czech classics; she is probably best known for her murder mysteries, both...
, Dorothy Sayers and Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
, the latter of whom she has called "a genius" and her "gold standard for writing".
She has also mentioned several other influences specific to the "Tejada" series, such as Delano Ames
Delano Ames
Delano Ames was an American writer of detective stories. Ames was the author of some 20 books, many of them featuring a husband and wife detective team of amateurs named 'Dagobert and Jane Brown'. A later series of novels involved a character named Juan Lorca, of the Spanish Civil Guard, who...
' The Man in the Tricorn Hat, and Carmen Martín Gaite
Carmen Martín Gaite
Carmen Martín Gaite was an award winning Spanish author. She wrote in many genres, including novels, short stories, and essays...
's El cuarto de atrás (aka The Back Room).