Marie-Helene Bertino
United StatesAbout
Marie-Helene Bertino is an American novelist and short-story writer known for her imaginative fiction, surreal humour, and emotionally perceptive explorations of loneliness, identity, and human connection. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she has taught creative writing at institutions including NYU and the University of Pennsylvania. Her work often blends everyday realism with fantastical elements, using unconventional narratives to examine grief, love, family, and the search for belonging. Her debut novel, 2 A.M. at The Cat’s Pajamas (2014), follows a young girl determined to perform at a Philadelphia jazz club on Christmas Eve. Her later novels include Parakeet (2020), a surreal exploration of marriage, family, and personal transformation, and Beautyland (2024), which tells the story of a girl who believes she has been sent to Earth from another planet to observe humanity. Bertino’s fiction combines playful experimentation with profound emotional insight, inviting readers to reconsider the strange, fragile connections that make us human.
