Cuentos Chicanos: A Short Story Anthology

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.

Rudolfo Anaya, widely acclaimed as one of the founders of modern Chicano literature, is professor emeritus of English at the University of New Mexico. Anaya was presented with the National Medal of Arts for literature in 2001 and his novel Alburquerque (the city's original Spanish spelling) won the PEN Center West Award for Fiction. He has also received the Premio Quinto Sol, the national Chicano literary award, the American Book Award from The Before Columbus Foundation, the Mexican Medal of Friendship from the Mexican Consulate, and the Western Literature Association's Distinguished Achievement Award. He is best known for the classic Bless Me Ultima.