In the Name of Salome

In the Name of Salomé, first published in 2000, is the fourth novel by Dominican-American author Julia Alvarez. Alvarez is a poet as well as a novelist and has also written essays, nonfiction works, and children’s books. Alvarez was born in the United States but raised in the Dominican Republic, and her work focuses heavily on the experience of a Latina assimilating into American culture. Her family’s political activity in their homeland and her own work as a poet parallel the experiences of Salomé and her family in the novel.

In the Name of Salomé tells the story of Salomé Ureña, a poet who has been called the Emily Dickinson of the Dominican Republic. Unlike Dickinson, much of Salomé’s poetry contains political themes, and her verse became an inspiration for patriots of the newly established republic. The author’s own life parallels that of Salomé’s daughter, as both were the children of parents living in exile for political reasons. Alvarez also lives in Middlebury, Vermont, which is the home of the fictional Marion Reed. Both also share a connection to Middlebury College.

The dominant tone of In the Name of Salomé is elegiac, as a mother and daughter describe the loves and losses in their lives.