Rudolfo Anaya

Often referred to as the father of Chicano literature, New Mexican writer Rudolfo Anaya's novel Bless Me, Ultima (1972), influenced a generation of Chicano authors. Before its publication, the Chicano experience was largely absent from the American literary canon, something Anaya discovered when he began college. Anaya's novels often envoke the New Mexico of his childhood, including the rural plains and a mix of Mexican, American, and indigenous cultures. Keep on reading to get to know more about Rudolfo Anaya's books, life and achievements.

Rudolfo Anaya: Biography

Rudolfo Anaya spent the majority of his life in and around Albuquerque, New Mexico, a setting that appears in many of his written works.

Rudolfo Anaya: Childhood and Early Life

Rudolfo Alfonso Anaya was born on October 30th, 1937 in Pastura, New Mexico. His father was a vaquero, a kind of original North American cowboy, and his mother came from a family of farmers and devout Catholics. Anaya spoke Spanish at home and did not learn English until he started school.

Anaya's childhood in rural New Mexico influenced much of his writing. Pixabay.

In 1952, when Anaya was in 8th grade, his family moved to Albuquerque, where he experienced city life for the first time. This move was a great change from the rural llano, the plains, of his childhood, but Anaya thrived in his new environment and began attending Albuquerque High School.

In 1954, at 16 years old, Anaya broke two of his vertebrae diving into an irrigation ditch and was left temporarily paralyzed. He spent the summer hospitalized but eventually made a full recovery. This experience profoundly impacted the young man and would appear in one of his future novels.

Adulthood and Writing Career

Anaya graduated high school in 1956 and then enrolled in business school. However, he quickly tired of this path of study, and he began studying English at the University of New Mexico.

In the university, Anaya discovered the power of literature and fell in love with reading and writing. However, he recognized the lack of American literature speaking to his own experience as a Chicano, Mexican-American man.

Anaya graduated from the University of New Mexico in 1963 with his B.A. in English and American Literature and took a job teaching first elementary school, then high school in southern Albuquerque. He got married in 1966 and continued to write in his free time.

Anaya noticed that the Chicano experience was missing from the American literary canon. Pixabay.

Anaya returned to the University of New Mexico in 1968 to complete a master's degree in English and another in guidance and counseling in 1972. This same year, Anaya's first and best-known novel, Bless Me, Ultima (1972), was published. Although Anaya had been writing novels, short stories, and poetry for several years, he struggled to find a publisher due to his writing's Chicano themes and his mix of Spanish and English.

Bless Me, Ultima was finally published by Quinto Sol, an independent publishing house born out of the 1960s Chicano movement. The novel, which follows the experiences of a Mexican-American boy called Antonio, was unique at the time of its publication and influenced an entire generation of Chicano writers.

Following the success of Bless Me, Ultima, Anaya joined the teaching faculty at the University of New Mexico, where he taught creative writing. Bless Me, Ultima also opened the doors for Anaya's literary career, and he published several more novels, collections of short stories, works of nonfiction, and children's stories.

Anaya retired from teaching in 1993. He continued writing and spent time traveling through Asia and South and Central America.

He passed away on June 28, 2020, in his Albuquerque home. He was 82 years old.

Rudolfo Anaya: Books

Rudolfo Anaya has written more than 35 books and edited or contributed to many anthologies. He is best known for his novels, including Bless Me, Ultima (1972), Alburquerque (1992), and Serafina's Stories (2004).

Bless Me, Ultima (1972)

Bless Me, Ultima was Rudolfo Anaya's first published novel and the start of his literary success.

The novel tells the story of Antonio Márez y Luna, also known as Tony, a young boy who forms a relationship with Ultima, an elderly curandera.

The novel is set in New Mexico in the 1940s, similar to Anaya's own childhood. With Ultima's guidance, Tony navigates the cultural contradictions in his life and comes to better understand himself, his family, and the world.

Bless Me, Ultima was one of the first examples of Chicano literature to gain widespread recognition and readership. Prior to its publication, the Chicano experience was largely absent from American literature. The novel greatly influenced an entire generation of Chicano authors and is still widely taught in schools around the country.

Along with the novels Heart of Aztlan (1976) and Tortuga (1979), Bless Me, Ultima forms a loose trilogy.

Bless Me, Ultima was adapted into a film in 2013 and an opera in 2016.

Alburquerque (1992)

The publication of Alburquerque cemented Anaya's reputation as the leading voice of multicultural literature in the United States.

Alburquerque tells the story of a Mexican-American boxing champion, Abrán González, who discovers he was adopted. Abrán was always that he was different, that his skin was lighter, but the discovery that his mother was actually a wealthy white woman sends him on a quest to discover his true father.

Like much of Ayana's other work, Alburquerque takes place in New Mexico and deals with themes of class, race, and Chicano identity.

Serafina's Stories (2004)

Serafina's Stories is a New Mexican retelling of Arabian Nights and takes place in the seventeenth century.

A young woman, Serafina, is captured alongside a group of Pueblo Indians who have been accused of trying to start a rebellion against the colonial government. The governor, however, takes a liking to Serafina and allows her to tell him stories. He agrees to release one of the prisoners for every story he likes. Serafina's stories are a mix of New Mexican folktales and European fairytales with a southwestern twist.

Other Novels

Rudolfo Anaya's other novels include Heart of Aztlan (1976), Tortuga (1979), and Lord of the Dawn: the Legend of Quetzalcóatl (1987).

Short Fiction

Rudolfo Anaya has published several collections of short fiction, including Silence of the Llano: Short Stories (1982) and The Man Who Could Fly and Other Stories (2006).

Nonfiction and Anthologies

Rudolfo Anaya has published works of nonfiction, such as the travel diary A Chicano in China (1986) and the collection The Essays (2009). His essays have also been included in anthologies, such as Aztlán: Essays on the Chicano Homeland (1989) and Muy Macho: Latino Men Confront Their Manhood (1996).

Children's Books

Rudolfo Anaya's children's books include Maya's Children: The Story of La Llorona (1996), Elegy on the Death of César Chávez (2000), and The First Tortilla (2007).

Rudolfo Anaya: Awards

Over the course of his career, Rudolfo Anaya has received many awards, including:

• 1971: Premio Quinto Sol for best book by a Chicano author for Bless Me, Ultima
• 1980: American Book Award, Before Columbus Foundation for Tortuga
• 1986: Mexican Medal of Friendship, Mexican Consulate of Albuquerque
• 1992: PEN-West Fiction Award for Alburquerque
• 2001: NEA National Medal of Arts Lifetime Honor
• 2015: National Humanities Medal

Facts About Rudolfo Anaya

• Rudolfo Anaya grew up with two half-brothers and four sisters.
• Anaya married Patricia Lawless in 1966. She encouraged him to write and helped him edit his work.
• In 2013, Bless Me, Ultima was placed on the list of most commonly challenged books in the United States. The novel has been the repeated target of censorship due to language, violence, and sexual content.
• Anaya was a literary advocate and established scholarships and a writer's residency to support aspiring writers.
• In addition to novels, nonfiction work, and children's books, Anaya also wrote several plays.