-The Grandfather of Chicano Literature-
Rudolfo Anaya's New Mexico
DISCOVER ANAYA
Rudolfo Anaya's celebrated career has been full of success, with over forty publications to his name. However, not all of Anaya's works have been met with critical acclaim. In fact, some of his works, including his first novels Eva Adams and Dagger Dang, were never published. Below are excerpts of Anaya's unpublished works as well as his process as a writer. Please visit the Center of Southwest Research at the University of New Mexico for full manuscripts.
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Below is the typescript first chapter of Anaya's first full-length novel: Eva Adams. The novel tells the story of the orphan Eva, who after being raised in Texas by her now-deceased grandparents, is sent to a reformatory school in New Mexico. The school is coincidentally located in the same county where she was born. There she encounters young women who have been outcasted by society for a variety of reasons. Eva is charaterized as free spirited and independent, someone who is resistant to societal expectations and conventions. Of interest is the fact that here Anaya uses a strong female character as his primary protagonist. Chicanos and Native Americans, save for Pops, the groundskeeper with whom Eva makes a spiritual connection, are largely absent. For better viewing of the documents on this page, click on them and then adjust the zoom on your internet browser.
Anaya followed up Eva Adams with Dagger Dang, which was intended to be a short, lyrical and allegorical novella. In this novella Anaya's voice, as we have grown accustomed to it, begins to emerge: philosophical ponderings, lyrical prose, and myth. Dagger Dang is about a young boy's quest for understanding amidst the backdrop of the llano. Unfortunately, publishers found the novella too short, rudundant, and confusing. Below shows another step in the process of a writer: the cover letter that expresses inent to publish and the publisher's rejection letter. Note Anaya's humility and self-deprecation in his cover letter, a rather uncommon approach to an introductory letter of intent.
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By 1983, Anaya was already a critically-acclaimed author in the United States. He had already published the New Mexico trilogy (Bless Me, Ultima, Heart of Aztlán, and Tortuga) and had gained recognition as a prominent Chicano writer. Yet the following story, "Rio Grande High Tech," which Anaya completed in 1983 has yet to appear in any of his short story collections. This is particularly bizaare given that the content of this story seemingly falls in line with much of his published works: adapting to Americanization and modernization while attempting to hold onto regional traditions and values.
Anaya's "Rio Grande High Tech" narrates the story of a boy and his grandfather who are outside working in the latter's apple orchid in their small northern New Mexican town. The boy begins to think about the changes that the Americanos are bringing to New Mexico and asks his grandfather if he believes these changes will be harmful to New Mexicans. The grandfather takes centures to respond. Meanwhile, change envelopes the town: the arrival of the railroad, climate change, automobiles, World Wars, electricity, fast food restaurants , etc. While a superficial reading of Anaya's short story points to a likeness with other texts, there are subtle differences: namely, Anaya's wise elder here is impotent until the very end (perhaps when it is too late). In comparison, other elders that Anaya uses, like Ultima, Crispin, and Agapita are cultural bearers who uphold traditional knowledge in moments of change: from herbal remedies to the narrative of Aztlan. Although Casimiro's grandfather is described as wise and a philosopher in "Rio Grande High Tech," it is his inability to answer Casimiro's question that dooms the family and renders them incapacited in front of the Americanization of New Mexico. Speaking of the Americanization of New Mexico, herein lies another subtle difference in "Rio Grande High Tech:" Anaya is far more critical of the changes that Anglos have brought to the state's environment, cuisine, economy, and language.