Fransisca Oyhanarte is an acclaimed writer from Dominican Republic. She is one of the few women in the country that is considered a “nationality” – a term that refers to the way in which women are regarded as citizens of their nation. She has dedicated her novels to the many nationalities of Dominican Republic. Her latest book, titled “Tropical North: Dominican Republic and the Making of Me,” is her third in the series, and she is currently working on her fourth.
Oyhanarte is originally from Colombia, but she was separated from her family at a very young age and moved to a boarding school in Honduras. She excelled in her academics, excelling in Latin grammar and Spanish language, and she pursued a degree in Social Sciences. But it was not until she was 25 years old that she decided to pursue a writing career and begin publishing her first novel.
It was not easy for Oyhanarte to accept her Dominican identity, especially after her parents divorced when she was very young. Despite her best efforts, and the many remarks made by people who knew her, she still could not fully embrace her nationality. It was not until later that her mother died that she decided to finally call herself a Dominican. As a result, she is not identified as Puerto Rican, Mexican, Dominican-American or African-American.