Yanitzia Canetti

Yanitzia Canetti (Havana, 1967) is a Cuban-American writer, translator, editor, and professor who has authored or translated hundreds of books, primarily in children’s and young adult literature, as well as novels, poetry, short stories, theatre, and essays. She holds a degree in Journalism, a master’s in Linguistics, and a doctorate in Literature, and has taught Spanish language, Hispanic literature, and creative writing at institutions in Massachusetts. Canetti is also known as the official Spanish-language translator of Dr. Seuss, and has translated numerous classic children’s books into Spanish.

Her work has received multiple honors, including the National Literature Award from Cuba’s Ministry of Education (1984, 1985, 1986) and the La Rosa Blanca literary award in 1994. In 2011, People en Español named her one of the “25 mujeres hispanas más poderosas del mundo.” She serves as president and CEO of Cambridge BrickHouse, Inc., works as a literary consultant for major publishers, and resides in Massachusetts with her family. Among her many publications and translations is ¿Quién es Lionel Messi? (Who Is Lionel Messi? Spanish Edition), for which she is credited as the Spanish translator.