About The Author
RUDOLFO ANAYA (1937- )
Rudolfo Anaya is one of the most widely read modern Mexican-American writers. He is best known for Bless Me Ultima, his first novel and winner of the PremioQuinto Sol, a national Chicano literary award.
Rudolfo Alfonso Anaya was born on October 30, 1937, in Pastura, New Mexico. His father, Martín, was a laborer. His mother was Rafaelita Mares Anaya. Anaya is married to Patricia Lawless, a counselor, and lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Anaya received a BA in English from the University of New Mexico in 1963, and a MA in English in 1968. He also received an MA in guidance and counseling from the same university in 1972. In addition to writing, Rudolfo Anaya has taught at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque since 1974. He became a full professor in 1988. He has also lectured at la Universidad Anahuac in Mexico City, Mexico, Yale, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, the University of California at Los Angeles, the University of Indiana, and the University of Texas at Houston.
His professional memberships include the Modern Language Association, The American Association of University Professors, and the National Council of Teachers of English. He was the founder and first president of the Rio Grande Writers Association.
In 1971 Anaya received the Premio Quinto Sol literary award for Bless Me, Ultima. He received the University of New Mexico Mesa Chicana literary award in 1977, the New Mexico Governor's Public Service Award in 1978 and 1980, and the New Mexico Governor's award for Excellence and Achievement in Literature in 1980. His third novel, Tortuga, received the Before Columbus American Book Award in 1980. The script for his play, "Rosa Linda," received a script development award from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 1982. In 1983 he received the award for achievement in Chicano literature from the Hispanic Caucus of Teachers of English. In 1986 the Mexican consulate of Albuquerque awarded him the Medal of Friendship. In addition, Anaya has received fellowships from the National Chicano Council on Higher Education, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Kellogg Foundation.
Bless Me, Ultima (1972) was Anaya's first novel. He based it and subsequent writings on the Spanish-American background of his childhood and youth in New Mexico. Several critics have commented positively on his use of traditional Spanish-American folktales in Bless Me, Ultima. While the novel contains mystical overtones, its main theme is faith and the loss of faith. The protagonist's conflicts come from Anaya's own questioning of beliefs that began while he was a student at the University of New Mexico.
Anaya's second novel, Heart of Aztlán, (1976) is the story of a family's move from rural to urban life. It is more political than his other works, and was not as well-received as Bless Me,Ultima.
Tortuga, (1979) his third novel, concerns a young boy who wears a body cast due to paralysis.("Tortuga" is the Spanish word for turtle.)
Anaya considers these three novels a trilogy depicting the Hispanic experience in America. In addition to these novels, Rudolfo Anaya has written plays, screenplays, children's stories and nonfiction essays. He contributes to many periodicals including La Luz, Bilingual Review-Revista Bilingüe, and the Before Columbus Review. He is the regional editor of Viaztlán and International Chicano Journal of Arts and Letters. His manuscript collection is housed at the Zimmerman Museum, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.
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