A Luis Leal Reader

Since his first publication in 1942, Luis Leal has likely done more than any other writer or scholar to foster a critical appreciation of Mexican, Chicano, and Latin American literature and culture. This volume, bringing together a representative selection of Leal’s writings from the past sixty years, is at once a wide-ranging introduction to the most influential scholar of Latino literature and a critical history of the field as it emerged and developed through the twentieth century. Instrumental in establishing Mexican literary studies in the United States, Leal’s writings on the topic are especially instructive, ranging from essays on the significance of symbolism, culture, and history in early Chicano literature to studies of the more recent use of magical realism and of individual New Mexican, Tejano, and Mexican authors such as Juan Rulfo, Carlos Fuentes, José Montoya, and Mariano Azuela. Clearly and cogently written, these writings bring to bear an encyclopedic knowledge, a deep understanding of history and politics, and an unparalleled command of the aesthetics of storytelling, from folklore to theory. This collection affords readers the opportunity to consider—or reconsider—Latino literature under the deft guidance of its greatest reader.

Professor Luis Leal is one of the most outstanding scholars of Mexican, Latin American, and Chicano literatures and the dean of Mexican American intellectuals in the United States. He was one of the first senior scholars to recognize the viability and importance of Chicano literature, and, through his perceptive literary criticism, helped to legitimize it as a worthy field of study. His contributions to humanistic learning have brought him many honors, including Mexico's Aquila Azteca and the United States' National Humanities Medal. In this testimonio or oral history, Luis Leal reflects upon his early life in Mexico, his intellectual formation at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago, and his work and publications as a scholar at the Universities of Illinois and California, Santa Barbara. Through insightful questions, Mario García draws out the connections between literature and history that have been a primary focus of Leal's work. He also elicits Leal's assessment of many of the prominent writers he has known and studied, including Mariano Azuela, William Faulkner, Octavio Paz, Carlos Fuentes, Juan Rulfo, Gabriel García Márquez, Jorge Luis Borges, Tomás Rivera, Rolando Hinojosa, Rudolfo Anaya, Elena Poniatowska, Sandra Cisneros, Richard Rodríguez, and Ana Castillo.

Juan Rulfo has published only three slender volumes of fiction, yet his name has become well known throughout the literary world. The fact that his works capture the very essence of Mexico, its geography, its people, may explain his popularity. My purpose here is to present as complete a study of Rulfo's life and works as possible.

This title takes a calendrical approach to illuminating the history of Latinos and life in the United States and adds more value than a simple "this day in history" through primary source excerpts and resources for further research. Latino/a history has been relatively slow in gaining recognition despite the population's rich and varied history. Engaging and informative, Latino History Day by Day: A Reference Guide to Events will help address that oversight. Much more than just a "this-day-in-history" list, the guide describes important events in Latino/a history, augmenting many entries with a brief excerpt from a primary document. All entries include two annotated books and websites as key resources for follow up. The day-to-day reference is organized by the 365 days of the year with each day drawing from events that span several hundred years of Latino/a history, from Mexican Americans to Puerto Ricans to Cuban Americans. With this guide in hand, teachers will be able to more easily incorporate Latino/a history into their classes. Students will find the book an easy-to-use guide to the Latino/a past and an ideal starting place for research.

Have you ever wanted a writing and research manual that centered Chicanx and Latinx scholarship? Writing that Matters does just that. While it includes a brief history of the roots of the fields of Chicanx literature and history, Writing that Matters emphasizes practice: how to research and write a Chicanx or Latinx history paper; how to research and write a Chicanx or Latinx literature or cultural studies essay; and how to conduct interviews, frame pláticas, and conduct oral histories. It also includes a brief chapter on nomenclature and a grammar guide. Each chapter includes questions for discussion, and all examples from across the subfields are from noted Chicanx and Latinx scholars. Women’s and queer scholarship and methods are not addressed in a separate chapter but are instead integral to the work. For years Professors Heidenreich and Urquijo-Ruiz waited for a writing and research manual that was rooted in critical Chicanx and Latinx studies. Now, they have crafted one.

For almost twenty years, Ilan StavansÑdescribed by the Washington Post as "Latin AmericaÕs liveliest and boldest critic and most innovative cultural enthusiast"Ñhas interviewed path-breaking intellectuals and artists in a wide range of media. As host of the critically acclaimed PBS series La Plaza, he interviews guests on pressing issues that affect the Western Hemisphere today, asking hard-hitting questions on immigration, religion, bilingualism, race, and democracy. This book collects for the first time in one volume StavansÕs most provocative and enlightening interviews with Hispanics from both sides of the Rio Grande. Spontaneous and surprising, these conversations reflect Latino life in the United States in all its facets. Among the more than two dozen selections, Edward James Olmos talks about Hispanics in Hollywood; John Leguizamo describes how he shapes a stage show; author Richard Rodriguez reflects on his gang background; Esmeralda Santiago takes on the Puerto Rican stereotype; and Piri Thomas shares thoughts on the writing of Down These Mean Streets. "A conversation is a tango," writes Stavans, "for it takes two to dance it." Conversations with Ilan Stavans invites readers to catch the rhythm and enjoy these unique meetings of minds.

The Routledge Concise History of Latino/a Literature traces a historical path through Latino/a literatures, with an enlightening analysis that also focuses on: recent themes such as gender and sexuality, feminist and queer voices, migration and border control different literary trends such as the postmodern, avant-garde, noir, and chica-lit language, code-switching and identity within the literature. With student-friendly features such as a glossary, guide to further reading, explanatory text boxes and chapter summaries, this is the ideal book for anyone approaching this broad and complex subject for the first time.