Michael Nava is an award-winning Chicano novelist, detective fiction writer, writer of nonfiction, lawyer, and advocate for underrepresented groups, especially gays and lesbians. He is most recognized for his acclaimed Henry Rios Mystery Series; the novels in the series have garnered multiple Lambda Literary Awards. As a gay Chicano lawyer and writer, Nava’s contributions to American literature, especially the mystery genre, are unprecedented. He is the first and most celebrated gay Chicano writer to openly and repeatedly deal with gay themes in this genre.

Nava’s great-grandparents migrated to the United States from Mexico during the Mexican Revolution and eventually settled in Sacramento, California. Born Michael Angel Nava on September 16, 1954 in Stockton, California, Nava was the

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Citation: Perez, Daniel Enrique. "Michael Nava". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 June 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12114, accessed 19 April 2024.]

12114 Michael Nava 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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