Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined
american masters

Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined is a documentary film about the life and work of Julia Alvarez, one of America's most celebrated Latina writers. Alvarez burst onto the literary scene in 1991 with her semi-autobiographical novel, How the Garcia Sisters Lost Their Accents, to great acclaim, followed by In the Time of the Butterflies (1994), which raised global awareness about three sisters assassinated by Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo, and was made into a major motion picture. Her most recent novel, Afterlife, explores the universal issues of aging, loss and healing, and joins the debate about Latino immigrants in the United States. Called "a writer of gigantic storytelling talent, and exquisitely composed prose," Alvarez has helped blaze the trail for generations of Latina/o authors helping transform American culture and literature. Now 72 years old, she feels that time is running out to tell all of the stories still within her. The film will explore her childhood in the Dominican Republic, her complex family dynamics, the lifelong impact of their escape from the dictatorship, her feelings of displacement, hybridity and loss - and how she transforms all of this, in a nuanced, complex writing voice - into poetry, essays and novels.

Episode Duration: 1 hour 56 minutes and 46 seconds

Episode Number: 3702

About American Masters:

AMERICAN MASTERS is an ongoing series of award-winning primetime specials examining the lives, works, and creative processes of our most outstanding cultural artists.

Created in 1984 by Susan Lacy and produced by Thirteen/WNET for national public television, the series is both a celebration and an exploration of creativity in America.

Consisting of more than 250 hours of programming to date, AMERICAN MASTERS is a growing film library documenting the role important individuals, groups, and movements have played in the formation of our cultural identity.


Watch American Masters - Clips, Episodes & Previews


Future Broadcast times for "American Masters": (show all)

Wed, Jan 22 2:00 P.M. Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir     NH Explore (11.2)
Mon, Jan 27 3:00 P.M. Bob Dylan: No Direction Home - Part 1     NH World (11.3)
Tue, Jan 28 3:00 P.M. Bob Dylan: No Direction Home - Part 2     NH World (11.3)
Mon, Feb 3 3:00 P.M. Little Richard: The King and Queen of Rock and Roll     NH World (11.3)
Wed, Feb 5 2:00 P.M. Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes     NH World (11.3)
Wed, Feb 5 3:30 P.M. Roberta     NH World (11.3)
Mon, Feb 17 2:00 P.M. Marian Anderson: The Whole World In Her Hands     NH World (11.3)
Tue, Feb 18 2:00 P.M. James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket     NH World (11.3)
Fri, Feb 21 9:00 P.M. The Disappearance of Miss Scott     NHPBS (11.1)
Sat, Feb 22 1:00 A.M. The Disappearance of Miss Scott     NHPBS (11.1)
Sun, Feb 23 10:00 P.M. The Disappearance of Miss Scott     NH World (11.3)
Mon, Feb 24 2:00 A.M. The Disappearance of Miss Scott     NH World (11.3)
Mon, Feb 24 10:00 A.M. The Disappearance of Miss Scott     NH World (11.3)
Mon, Feb 24 1:00 P.M. Marian Anderson: The Whole World In Her Hands     NH Explore (11.2)


NHPBS Over-the-Air Broadcast

WENH-TV Ch. 11 Durham

WLED-TV Ch. 48 Littleton

WEKW-TV Ch. 18 Keene

W50DP-D Ch. 50 Hanover

W34DQ-D Ch. 34 Pittsburg

Cable and Satellite Channels


NHPBS Five Channels

NHPBS - 11.1

NH Explore - 11.2

NH World - 11.3

NH Create - 11.4

NH Kids - 11.5

Learn More


NHPBS NHPBS Passport Passport

American Masters | Brenda Lee: Rockin' Around [Extended Audio Description + OC]
Local, USA | UNVEILED: Joyce Tenneson and the Heroine's Journey
Violent Femmes: 40th Anniversary with the Milwaukee Symphony | Violent Femmes: 40th Anniversary with the Milwaukee Symphony
Lucy Worsley's Holmes vs. Doyle | Fact and Fiction
Great Performances | Henry Mancini 100 at the Hollywood Bowl
Christmas with John Rutter at Preston Hollow | Christmas with John Rutter at Preston Hollow
Christmas With The Tabernacle Choir | Joy: Christmas with The Tabernacle Choir
Lidia Celebrates America | Lidia Celebrates America: Changemakers
Austin City Limits | ACL Presents 23rd Annual Americana Honors
The Caverns Sessions | BIG RICHARD
Leonardo da Vinci | Part Two: Painter-God
Secrets of the Dead | Lost Treasures of Angkor - King's Gold
Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire | Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire
Nature | Lions of the Skeleton Coast
Dad's Secret War: France 1944 | Dad's Secret War: France 1944
NOVA | Decoding the Universe: Quantum
Youth Music of the World | Music students from Oklahoma and Illinois perform in London.
Salute to Service: A Veterans Day Celebration | Salute to Service: A Veterans Day Celebration 2024
Antiques Roadshow | Celebrating Native American Heritage
Swing Lo' | Swing Lo'
The Marlow Murder Club | Episode 4
VOCES | Our Texas, Our Vote
The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause | The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause
Next at the Kennedy Center | Alonzo King LINES Ballet: Deep River
POV | Twice Colonized
VOCES American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos | Solidarity in a New Era
Beyond Debate: A Revolution in Education | Beyond Debate: A Revolution in Education
Jazz Music Awards 2023 | Jazz Music Awards 2023
Milk Street's My Family Recipe | Adena's Hot Milk Sponge
American Experience | The American Vice President
Southern Songwriters with Patrick Davis | Allen University, Columbia
Big Cats 24/7 | Episode Four
America's Test Kitchen | Easy Chicken Dinners
Cook's Country | A Bold Brunch