The Last Supper of Chicano Heroes: Selected Works of José Antonio Burciaga
by José Antonio Burciaga edited by Mimi R. Gladstein and Daniel Chacón
University of Arizona Press, 2008 Cloth: 978-0-8165-2661-1 | Paper: 978-0-8165-2662-8 | eISBN: 978-0-8165-4909-2 Library of Congress Classification PS3552.U66A6 2008 Dewey Decimal Classification 813.54
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Widely considered one of the most important voices in the Chicano literary canon, José Antonio Burciaga was a pioneer who exposed inequities and cultural difficulties through humor, art, and deceptively simple prose. In this anthology and tribute, Mimi R. Gladstein and Daniel Chacón bring together dozens of remarkable examples of Burciaga’s work. His work never demonstrates machismo or sexism, as he believed strongly that all Chicano voices are equally valuable.
Best known for his books Weedee Peepo, Drink Cultura, and Undocumented Love, Burciaga was also a poet, cartoonist, founding member of the comedy troupe Cultura Clash, and a talented muralist whose well-known work The Last Supper of Chicano Heroes became almost more famous than the man. This first and only collection of Burciaga’s work features thirty-eight illustrations and incorporates previously unpublished essays and drawings, including selections from his manuscript “The Temple Gang,” a memoir he was writing at the time of his death. In addition, Gladstein and Chacón address Burciaga’s importance to Chicano letters.
A joy to read, this rich compendium is an important contribution not only to Chicano literature but also to the preservation of the creative, spiritual, and political voice of a talented and passionate man.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Mimi Reisel Gladstein is the author of four books and coeditor of one. Her scholarly articles, covering subjects as diverse as the Harry Potter series and bilingual wordplay in Hemingway and Steinback, have been translated and published in both Mexico and Japan. Gladstein has been recognized internationally with the John J. and Angeline R. Pruis Award for teaching Steinback and the Burckhardt Award for Steinback scholarship.
Daniel Chacón is a professor of creative writing at the University of Texas, El Paso. He earned an MFA in creative writing from the University of Oregon. He is the author of several books, including The Cholo Tree and Hotel Juárez: Stories, Rooms and Loops, which won the 2014 PEN Oakland Award for Literary Excellence.
REVIEWS
“Burciaga seeks the roots of his Chicano heritage in Mexico and Texas, telling today’s Mexican Americans how the Chicano movement has changed their lives for the better. His personal anecdotes of growing up a stranger to both of his native lands speak to today’s immigrants, especially the second and third generations.”—Library Journal
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Acknowledgments
Editors'Introduction
jAdelante!
PART ONE:
Cosas Lingiiisticas
Essays
Bilingualism Isn't Just for Hispanics, You Know (1980, SanJose Mercury)
An Anglicized Nightmare in Official English (1981, San]ose Mercury)
Chicano Terms of Endearment (1988, Weedee Peepo)
Par Qyien Dobla la Campana-For Whom the Bell Tolls (1988, uncollected)
Pendejismo (1993, Drink Cultura)
What's in a Spanish Name? (1995, Spilling the Beans)
jAy Caramba! (1995, Spilling the Beans)
Bilingual Cognates (1995, Spilling the Beans)
Spanish Words in Anglo-American Literature: A Chicano Perspective (1996, Spanish Loanwords in the English Language)
Poetry
Lo del Coraz6n (1986, 1992, Undocumented LovelAmor Indocumentado)
The Last Supper of Chicano Heroes: Selected Works of José Antonio Burciaga
by José Antonio Burciaga edited by Mimi R. Gladstein and Daniel Chacón
University of Arizona Press, 2008 Cloth: 978-0-8165-2661-1 Paper: 978-0-8165-2662-8 eISBN: 978-0-8165-4909-2
Widely considered one of the most important voices in the Chicano literary canon, José Antonio Burciaga was a pioneer who exposed inequities and cultural difficulties through humor, art, and deceptively simple prose. In this anthology and tribute, Mimi R. Gladstein and Daniel Chacón bring together dozens of remarkable examples of Burciaga’s work. His work never demonstrates machismo or sexism, as he believed strongly that all Chicano voices are equally valuable.
Best known for his books Weedee Peepo, Drink Cultura, and Undocumented Love, Burciaga was also a poet, cartoonist, founding member of the comedy troupe Cultura Clash, and a talented muralist whose well-known work The Last Supper of Chicano Heroes became almost more famous than the man. This first and only collection of Burciaga’s work features thirty-eight illustrations and incorporates previously unpublished essays and drawings, including selections from his manuscript “The Temple Gang,” a memoir he was writing at the time of his death. In addition, Gladstein and Chacón address Burciaga’s importance to Chicano letters.
A joy to read, this rich compendium is an important contribution not only to Chicano literature but also to the preservation of the creative, spiritual, and political voice of a talented and passionate man.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Mimi Reisel Gladstein is the author of four books and coeditor of one. Her scholarly articles, covering subjects as diverse as the Harry Potter series and bilingual wordplay in Hemingway and Steinback, have been translated and published in both Mexico and Japan. Gladstein has been recognized internationally with the John J. and Angeline R. Pruis Award for teaching Steinback and the Burckhardt Award for Steinback scholarship.
Daniel Chacón is a professor of creative writing at the University of Texas, El Paso. He earned an MFA in creative writing from the University of Oregon. He is the author of several books, including The Cholo Tree and Hotel Juárez: Stories, Rooms and Loops, which won the 2014 PEN Oakland Award for Literary Excellence.
REVIEWS
“Burciaga seeks the roots of his Chicano heritage in Mexico and Texas, telling today’s Mexican Americans how the Chicano movement has changed their lives for the better. His personal anecdotes of growing up a stranger to both of his native lands speak to today’s immigrants, especially the second and third generations.”—Library Journal
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Acknowledgments
Editors'Introduction
jAdelante!
PART ONE:
Cosas Lingiiisticas
Essays
Bilingualism Isn't Just for Hispanics, You Know (1980, SanJose Mercury)
An Anglicized Nightmare in Official English (1981, San]ose Mercury)
Chicano Terms of Endearment (1988, Weedee Peepo)
Par Qyien Dobla la Campana-For Whom the Bell Tolls (1988, uncollected)
Pendejismo (1993, Drink Cultura)
What's in a Spanish Name? (1995, Spilling the Beans)
jAy Caramba! (1995, Spilling the Beans)
Bilingual Cognates (1995, Spilling the Beans)
Spanish Words in Anglo-American Literature: A Chicano Perspective (1996, Spanish Loanwords in the English Language)
Poetry
Lo del Coraz6n (1986, 1992, Undocumented LovelAmor Indocumentado)