Cuentos Chicanos: A Short Story Anthology

by Rudolfo Anaya (Editor)

The twenty-one stories in this collection typify the phenomenal growth Chicano literature has undergone during the past two decades. The stories range from those complex narratives, from depictions of a childlike innocence to world-weary knowledge, from accounts of migrant life to middle-class anxieties, and from celebrations of the family to explorations of the supernatural. No central theme or point of view unites the stories; rather there emerges in each a personal aesthetic vision. Students of literature and creative writing as well as specialists in contemporary politics and social change will find this anthology especially rich reading. Included are such established authors as Rudolfo A. Anaya, E. A. Mares, and Bruce-Novoa along with the best of the emerging new writers including Denise Chávez and Mario Suarez.

Genres: Fiction

194 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1984

About the author

Rudolfo Anaya lives and breathes the landscape of the Southwest. It is a powerful force, full of magic and myth, integral to his writings. Anaya, however, is a native Hispanic fascinated by cultural crossings unique to the Southwest, a combination of oldSpain and New Spain, of Mexico with Mesoamerica and the anglicizing forces of the twentieth century. Rudolfo Anaya is widely acclaimed as the founder of modern Chicano literature. According to the New York Times, he is the most widely read author in Hispanic communities, and sales of his classic Bless Me, Ultima (1972) have surpassed 360,000, despite the fact that none of his books have been published originally by New York publishing houses. His works are standard texts in Chicano studies and literature courses around the world, and he has done more than perhaps any other single person to promote publication of books by Hispanic authors in this country. With the publication of his novel, Albuquerque (1992),Newsweek has proclaimed him a front-runner in "what is better called not the new multicultural writing, but the new American writing." His most recent volume, published in 1995, is Zia Summer.

"I've always used the technique of the cuento. I am an oral storyteller, but now I do it on the printed page. I think if we were very wise we would use that same tradition in video cassettes, in movies, and on radio."

from
http://www.unm.edu/~wrtgsw/anaya.html
and
http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_reso...

Reviews

[Ryana Holt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some stories 5 stars, some I skipped because I couldn't get into them. A mixed bag.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a few stories written in Spanish which made them difficult to read because I had to type them into Google translate.