Rudolfo Anaya (October 30, 1937 – June 28, 2020) was an American author. Noted for his 1972 novel Bless Me, Ultima, Anaya was considered one of the founders of the canon of contemporary Chicano and New Mexican literature.[1][2] The themes and cultural references of the novel, which were uncommon at the time of its publication, had a lasting impression on fellow Latino writers. It was subsequently adapted into a film and an opera.
Rudolfo Anaya was raised in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. His father, Martín Anaya, was a vaquero from a family of cattle workers and sheepherders. His mother, Rafaelita (Mares), was from a family composed of farmers from Puerto De Luna in the Pecos Valley of New Mexico.[3] Anaya grew up with two half-brothers, from his mother's previous marriage, and four sisters. The beauty of the desert flatlands of New Mexico, referenced as the llano in Anaya's writings, had a profound influence on his early childhood.[4]
Anaya's family relocated from rural New Mexico to Albuquerque in 1952, when he was in the eighth grade.[5] He attended Albuquerque High School, graduating in 1956.[4] This experience later appeared as an autobiographical allusion in his novel Tortuga.[3] When he was 16 he sustained a spinal cord injury which left him temporarily paralyzed.[6] Following high school, he earned a B.A. in English and American Literature from the University of New Mexico in 1963. He went on to complete two master's degrees at the University of New Mexico, one in 1968 for English and another in 1972 for guidance and counseling.[3] While earning his master's degrees, Anaya worked as a high school English teacher in the Albuquerque public schools from 1963 until 1968.[4][7] In 1966, he married Patricia Lawless, who continued to support his writing.[3]
He began writing his best-known work Bless Me, Ultima in 1963, with the manuscript completed and published by Quinto Sol in 1972.[3] Initially, Anaya faced tremendous difficulty getting his work published by mainstream publishing houses because of its unique combination of English and Spanish language, as well as its Chicano-centric content.[8] Independent publishing house Quinto Sol quickly published the book after awarding it the Premio Quinto Sol in 1971 for best novel written by a Chicano.[3] The book went on to sell over 300,000 copies in 21 printings.[9] The themes and cultural references touched on in the novel were uncommon at the time of its publication. Consequently, it ended up having a lasting impact on a generation of Latino writers.[10]
Following the book's success, Anaya was invited to join the English faculty at the University of New Mexico in 1975, where he taught until his retirement in 1993.[8]
Anaya traveled extensively through both China in 1984, and South America following his retirement. His experiences in China are chronicled in his travel journal, A Chicano in China, published in 1986.[3][4]
During the 1990s, Anaya found an even wider audience as mainstream publishing house Warner books signed him on for a six-book deal beginning with the novel Alburquerque. He subsequently created the Sonny Baca mystery series which included Zia Summer, Rio Grande Fall, Jalamanta: A Message from the Desert, and Shaman Winter. The Anaya Reader, a collection of his works, followed.[4][9][11]
Bless Me, Ultima was released as a feature film on February 22, 2013.[12] It was subsequently adapted into an opera three years later.[13] Anaya also published a number of books for children and young adults. His first children's book was The Farolitos of Christmas, published in 1995.[4]
Anaya's non-fiction work has appeared in many anthologies. In 2015, 52 of his collected essays exploring identity, literature, immigration, and politics were published as The Essays with Open Road Media.[14] In summarizing his career, Anaya stated "What I’ve wanted to do is compose the Chicano worldview—the synthesis that shows our true mestizo identity—and clarify it for my community and for myself."[15]
Anaya lived in Albuquerque, where each day he spent several hours writing.[4][16] He died at his home on June 28, 2020, at the age of 82.[17][18] He had been suffering from a long illness in the time leading up to his death.[10]
"La Llorona" (2002) an opera based on his play The Seasons of La Llorona. Libretto by Rudolfo Anaya. Composer, Daniel Steven Crafts Premiere 2008 National Hispanic Cultural Center
"Cancion al Rio Grande" (2007) an orchestral setting of his poem of the same name, written for inclusion into the work for tenor and orchestra, From a Distant Mesa composed by Daniel Steven Crafts. Premiere 2012, New Mexico Philharmonic.
^Cesar A. Gonzales-T., The Ritual and Myth of Experience in the Works of Rudolfo A. Anaya, published in A Sense of Place: Rudolfo A. Anaya: An Annotated Bio-Bibliography (2000).
^Garcia, Annemarie Lynette (2010). A culture of divisions : cultural representations of La Bruja and La Curandera in Nuevo Mexicano folklore and literature. OCLC727743507.
^ abcdefgFernandez Olmos, Margarite. "The Life of Rudolfo A. Anaya." Rudolfo A. Anaya: A Critical Companion. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 1999. ABC-CLIO eBook Collection. Web. February 20, 2013.
^Anaya, Rudolfo (January 2, 2024). Alburquerque: A Novel: Rudolfo Anaya: 9780826340597: Amazon.com: Books. University of New Mexico Press. ISBN978-0826340597.
