The author knows well his subject and brings about this literary work. Goes from the time of the Colonization where the actions were documented by the Friers like Fray Bartolome de las Casas to the 20th Century with writers like Bernardo Vega, Pedro Albizu Campo, Rene Marques and others with a corssover of some Spanish writers from Spain. I do like the compendium of historical references and short biographies as a footnote at the end of the pages. Serves as a good reference book. Paperback Ilan Stavans is moderating a panel discussion with authors Ruben Martinez, Susana Chavez-Silverman and Luis Rodriguez on October 21st. Free reservations at www.aloudla.org
Paperback You learn a lot from reading this book...especially as a Latina. Paperback I read quite a bit of the stories and enjoyed most of them. I tried to get acquainted with some of the unfamiliar authors. There are plenty of writers I didn't know but enjoyed. I now extended my To read book pile by several. a couple of authors that stand out are Jose Marti, Corky Gonzalez, Agüeybana (Taino leader), and Rosario and Aurora Morales. For me, this is a must own book. I've maxed out my library renewal allotment keeping it so long. I'd like to continue searching for the gems that seem to be in most of the nearly three thousand pages. Paperback
Summary ´ PDF, DOC, TXT or eBook ¹ Ilan Stavans
This groundbreaking Anthology includes the work of 201 Latino writers from Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban-American, and Dominican-American traditions, as well as writing from other Spanish-speaking countries. Under the general editorship of award-winning cultural critic Ilan Stavans, traces four centuries of writing, from letters to the Spanish crown by sixteenth-century conquistadors to the cutting-edge expressions of twenty-first-century and artists of reggaetón. In six chronological sections―Colonization, Annexation, Acculturation, Upheaval, Into the Mainstream, and Popular Traditions―the anthology encompasses diverse genres, and it features writers such as José Martí, William Carlos Williams, Julia Alvarez, Oscar Hijuelos, Cristina García, Piri Thomas, Esmeralda Santiago, and Junot Díaz. Thirteen years in the making, sheds new light on through a gathering of writing unprecedented in scope and vitality. The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature
I've used this anthology in my Latinx Literature course in the past, and it was one of three I've taught from and numerous others I've studied. School took a few circular and sideways steps for a while, so I wasn't able to offer the course. Given a new opportunity, I am now planning to teach that course again next semester. THIS is the text I'll use, for it is 1) affordable for my community college students, even at full price less expensive than others; 2) extensive in its offerings of historical documents, essays, and relevant political acts, 3) full of that beautiful traditional literature, yes, but also numerous songs and examples of folklore other compilations do not provide, and 5) reflective of numerous Latinx backgrounds and people, and 6) logically ordered so that my students will be able to navigate this text. Notice that I begin and end with how books will help my students? Ultimately, that is what I always focus on when selecting texts for my courses. I realize I'll use numerous other resources for this course, but for the primary text Ilan Stavans' book is the best. Paperback didn't really read this book in the traditional front to back sense. more-so perused it and took a lot of pictures of authors i was too lazy to add to my goodreads profile.
i love the organization style of this anthology and how stavans splits apart the different sections of this broad genre. this feels like a book I'd love to own one day given how wide ranging the properties of authors are presented in this book.
really have to revisit this again but for now I'm counting it as read.
Paperback Should really be titled - The Norton Concise Anthology of Latino Literature
This is both the pro and the con of it. There are some authors here which are hard to find translated into English, elsewhere. At the same time, the book completely ignores a staggering amount of Latino writers (both major and minor). I can only imagine how hard it must've been for the editor to determine what would be included and what would be left out.
The answer is simple, of course. It should've been a multi-volume release, preferably edited by more than one person. But it is clear that Norton doesn't give a damn about Latino literature. The American anthology is a multi-volume release. What does that say? Paperback Incredibly broad in scope and deep in content. The authors in this anthology write about universal human struggles over secularism, religiosity, resistance, assimilation, migrating to a new place, being at home in an old place, love, death... Sometimes when we talk about what it means to be Latinx, we fall into traps that diminish our selves within a few narrow boundaries as a reaction to colonization... rather than expanding our selves outward. Reading this anthology is good medicine for folks of all backgrounds.
This is my one desert island book-- yes, partly because it's 2,489 pages-- but more importantly because it contains so much humanity and memory. Paperback Great anthology. Honestly, I skimmed most if the information and focused on the texts by or about Puerto Rican culture and people. It was a really great way to expand my knowledge of Puerto Rican writers and playwrights and to become better acquainted with the issues they faced at various points in history, including colonization. Paperback