New Mexican literature

New Mexican literature includes the modern American literature of the U.S state of New Mexico, along with its former Santa Fe de Nuevo México and New Mexico territories. It is influential in English language and Spanish language literatures, and most of its history has been influenced by Native American literature, Spanish literature, Mexican literature, and English literature.[1][2][3][4][5]

History

Histories in the region date back to the Hispanos of New Mexico chronicling the oral traditions of the Pueblo, Navajo, Apache, and Comanche peoples. One of the earliest mentions of New Mexico was in Nahuatl as "Yancuic Mexico" in the Crónica Mexicayotl. Among the earliest works of New Mexican literature was Gaspar Pérez de Villagrá's 1610 Historia de la Nueva México.

In the 19th century, Western fiction became popular globally, with tales of Geronimo, Pat Garrett, Billy the Kid, and Elfego Baca becoming folklore icons. Other novels written in New Mexico at this time include Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.

During the 20th century, the 1927 novel Death Comes for the Archbishop set in New Mexico was published, and Fabiola Cabeza de Baca Gilbert produced the first English language cookbook to mention New Mexican cuisine. Scholarly works of the 20th century also remain relevant, especially ones related to the works of Angelico Chavez, James Fulton Zimmerman, Evelina Zuni Lucero, and those of Project Y. Authors and writers of the later 20th and early 21st centuries include Rudolfo Anaya,[6] George RR Martin,[7] and Simon Romero.[8]

As a genre

New Mexican literature as a genre often expresses four themes; tourist, priest, dramatist, and local.[9] With a distinctively Hispano, Puebloan, Apache, Navajo, American frontier, Mexican-American, and Chicano expressed worldview.[10][5]

New Mexican authors of fiction and non-fiction alike make use of these aforementioned themes, and its fiction is categorized as a distinctive genre by the Library of Congress.[11] Screenplays set in the region often to make use of the New Mexican literary motifs,[12] even if they were changed from a prior setting elsewhere.[13]

Books that are considered to be recommended reading for this genre are Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, Eyes Bottle Dark With a Mouthful of Flowers by Jake Skeets, Night at the Fiestas by Kirstin Valdez Quade, Peel My Love Like an Onion by Ana Castillo, Face of an Angel by Denise Chávez, and Pasó Por Aquí by Gene Rhodes.[14][15]

Writers from New Mexico

Periodicals

Newspapers

Further information: List of newspapers in New Mexico

The newspapers of record for New Mexico are the Albuquerque Journal, The Santa Fe New Mexican, and Las Cruces Sun-News.[16]

Magazines and journals

References

  1. ^ "LibGuides: New Mexico Authors and Books: Classics". LibGuides at New Mexico State Library. June 6, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  2. ^ "Anna M. Nogar :: Spanish & Portuguese". The University of New Mexico. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  3. ^ Clift, Richard (December 20, 2013). "Hearing Unheard Voices: New Mexico's Children's Literature • Worlds of Words". Worlds of Words. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  4. ^ "Bless Me, Ultima". Encyclopedia.com. October 30, 1937. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Benson, Douglas K. (1985). "Intuitions of a World in Transition: The New Mexican Poetry of Leroy V. Quintana". Bilingual Review / La Revista Bilingüe. 12 (1/2). Bilingual Press / Editorial Bilingüe: 62–80. ISSN 0094-5366. JSTOR 25744754. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  6. ^ Cutler, John Alba (2011). "Eusebio Chacón's America". MELUS. 36 (1). [Oxford University Press, Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States (MELUS)]: 109–134. ISSN 0163-755X. JSTOR 23035245. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  7. ^ "George R.R. Martin Talks Santa Fe, Interactive Art, and 'Game of Thrones'". Travel. April 21, 2016. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  8. ^ "The New York Times". Simon Romero. April 13, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  9. ^ Padilla, Laura Kathleen (2006). "Land of Enchantment, Land of Mi Chante: four arguments in New Mexican literature". UT Theses and Dissertations. The University of Texas at Austin: 62–80. OCLC 761212188. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  10. ^ Lomelí, Francisco A.; Sorell, V. A.; Padilla, Genaro M. (2002). Nuevomexicano cultural legacy : forms, agencies, and discourse. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 978-0-8263-2224-1. OCLC 48495189.
  11. ^ "New Mexico--Fiction - Library of Congress". Library of Congress: Authorities and Vocabularies. February 22, 1999. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  12. ^ Schmidt, Chuck (October 29, 2018). "Legendary actor Robert Loggia got his start as Disney's 'Elfego Baca'". AllEars.Net. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  13. ^ Dickey, Josh (August 23, 2022). "Breaking Bad Was Never Meant to Film in New Mexico". TheWrap. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  14. ^ González, Rigoberto (May 31, 2019). "Reading New Mexico". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  15. ^ Simmons, Marc (January 10, 2023). "Trail Dust: Wrangler turned author once fled New Mexico". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  16. ^ Fonseca-Chávez, Vanessa (February 25, 2019), "New Mexico Newspapers", Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190201098.013.937, ISBN 978-0-19-020109-8
  17. ^ Bloom, Lansing Bartlett; Walter, Paul A. F.; University of New Mexico; Historical Society of New Mexico; School of American Research (Santa Fe, N.M.). (1926). "New Mexico historical review". [Albuquerque, etc.]: [University of New Mexico]. ISSN 0028-6206. OCLC 1759913. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  18. ^ New Mexico (1956). "New Mexico wildlife". [Santa Fe, New Mexico]: [New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, Public Affairs Division]. ISSN 0028-6338. OCLC 761864374. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)