Bendiceme Ultima Author:Rudolfo Anaya Spanish language edition of "Bless Me, Ultima". — First published in 1972, few other novels by a Chicano author have had such wide acclaim as "Bless Me, Ultima". Set in 1940s New Mexico, the novel tells the story of a young boy, Antonio, who is torn between his father's cowboy family and his mother's farming relations. His life changes forever, h... more »owever, when his aunt Ultima, a curandera (or folk healer), comes to live with the family. Through her, Antonio is able to face and overcome some of the difficulties and evils that touch his life and thereby gain knowledge that will help him become a man.
This important work in Chicano literature is the first in a series of novels by Anaya, followed by several additional works that further probe into the spiritual identity of Aztlan and expand its meaning through multiple dimensions of man's indomitable courage while facing illness, death, and the disregard of society: "Heart of Aztlan" (1976), "Tortuga" (1979), and "The Silence of the Llano" (1982). These early Anaya writings then continue with "The Legend of La Llorona" (1984), a re-creation of the generations-old folk tale of the wailing woman in which he sets Malinche as the central character, and "The Adventures of Juan Chicaspatas" (1985), a long narrative poem that further explores the myths and history of Mexico and the Southwest.
Altogether, these books probe the psyche and experience of being Chicano in America, all beginning with "Benediceme Ultima".« less