Today I will discuss three famous Latinos in literature. As
an avid bookworm for most of my life, I have read a variety of books across
genres, languages and cultures. When I decide to discuss a few important
Latinos in literature, I didn’t realize what a task it would be. While there
are so many great writers to choose from, it was hard for me to pick just
three. However, I hope discuss the wide range of talent and cultural impact in
these writers’ works. All three have been influenced by the world around them
as well as influenced those who followed. All three are from different ancestral
backgrounds but through their writing they attempt to bring the world closer
together with stories of growing up, stories of heroism and beautiful poetry of
love.
First, Sandra Cisneros was born December 20, 1954 in
Chicago, Illinois. The only daughter in a family with six sons, she often left
pushed aside and isolated. Ms. Cisneros is best known for her debut novel The House on Mango Street (1984) which
is taught in classrooms across America. It is a coming of age story of
Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago with Chicanos and
Puerto Ricans. The major themes include the quest to lead a better life and the
promise to help those who remain behind. The biculturalism and bilingualism is
very important in Ms. Cisneros’ writing. She will use Spanish in place of
English when the flow of the passage is improved by the beauty of the language.
For example, instead of saying “my girl,” she will use “mihija” which is a
Spanish endearment literally meaning my girl. However, there is a poetry with
the use of mihija. I didn’t read The
House on Mango Street in the context of a classroom but after the
recommendation of a friend. The themes are common of any coming of age story:
the beloved childhood adventures, the heartbreak as one realizes that life is
dirty, unfair and requires hard work from you. In many ways, the book reminds
me of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943)
as the main character grows from a child’s point of view of the world into the
jaded adult view of someone who grows up too soon.
Second, Julia Alvarez is a Dominican-American poet, novelist
and essayist. Born March 27, 1950 in New York, she spent the first ten years of
her life in Dominican Republic until her father’s involvement in a political
rebellion forced the family to flee. One of my favorite of Ms. Alvarez’s books
is In the Time of Butterflies (1994),
a historical novel about the Mirabal sisters: Minerva, Dede, Maria Teresa and
Patria during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. The sisters were active in
the underground revolution against Trujillo. Three of the sisters were murdered
on November 25, 1960 while on Puerto Plata Road. Their code name, Las Mariposas
“The Butterflies” and their story has remained with me years after reading the
book. Ms. Alvarez once said “A novel is not, after all, a historical novel, but
a way to travel through the human heart.” In her books, the reader is able to
see, feel and experience another side of life through the eyes of her
characters. There is a beauty and brutal honesty in her writing. The scenes in
which the sisters suffered in prison and later the scene of their death are
hard to read; however, gives the reality of what the sisters and their fellow
revolutionaries suffered to fight Trujillo. These are the scenes which I
remember the most. As with most courageous stories, the Mirabal sisters have
not been lost to time thanks, in part, to Ms. Alvarez’s book. When a writer has
such an important impact to help keep such stories alive is noteworthy.
Third, Pablo Neruda is the pen name, and later legal name,
of Chilean poet-diplomat and politician Ricardo Eliecer Neftail Reyes Basoalto.
Born July 12, 1904, he has been called the greatest poet of the 20th
century in any language. He began composing poems at the age of 10 and was
published by 13. It has been thought that he published under a pseudonym to
avoid his father’s disapproval of his poems and interests in writing and
literature. Neruda would serve in various diplomatic posts including Buenos
Aires, Barcelona, and Mexico City. He was an ardent communist for most of his
life and an admirer of Stalin and Lenin. He died September 23, 1973 at the age
of 69. However, it is his poetry which has gain him notoriety. Pablo Neruda has
influenced many in music and movies. Jackson Browne featured a Neruda poem on
the back of his album, The Pretender (1976). One of his famous poems, LA Muerta (The Dead Woman) was featured
in the film, Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990) starring Alan Rickman and Juliet
Stevenson. The poem is about grief and living after a loved one has passed. My
favorite quote from this poem is “I shall walk with frost and fire and death
and snow, my feet will want to walk to where you are sleeping, but I shall stay
alive, because above all things, you wanted me indomitable.” An image of a
constant grief and missing the person once they’re gone; but a moving forward
because the beloved wouldn’t want him to be defeated by her death.
In conclusion, these are just three examples of amazing
writers who are a great asset to their culture as well to the world of
literature. They are just writers for the Latino community but for the world as
a whole. Their writings speak to the universal truths of life that we all must
face and the lessons we all must learn. I highly recommend reading the books
and poetry I have discussed here as well as branching out to other writers. I
think we can learn about a culture, a people and ourselves within those pages.
Within the adventures of a book, we can discover that we aren’t that different
after all.
