About the Author

Rudolfo Anaya (1937-2020) was a New Mexican novelist and essayist, and one of the founding voices in modern Chicanx literature. A professor at the University of New Mexico and a lifelong champion of Chicanx voices who devoted himself to supporting aspiring writers, he received many literary awards, including the National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama, the Premio Quinto Sol National Chicano literary award, the Notable New Mexican Award, and the PEN Center USA West Award for Fiction. His debut novel, Bless Me, Ultima, was named a Great American Read by PBS, and has been adapted into a feature film, an opera, and several stage plays.

Erika L. Sanchez (foreword) is the New York Times bestselling author of the National Book Award finalist I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, the poetry collection Lessons on Expulsion, and the memoir-in-essays Crying in the Bathroom. She lives in Chicago, where she is the Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz chair of Latin American and Latino studies at DePaul University.

Reviews

“Bless Me, Ultima made me feel seen in the same way that Whitman’s poetry does. . . . It’s enchanting: a journey of the senses, and a classic for a reason. . . . Anaya was an author who appreciated different perspectives and cultures. . . . Without his work, books like mine could not exist.” —Erika L. Sánchez, from the Foreword

“Half a century after its publication, Bless Me, Ultima is still reaching new heights. . . . The novel’s impact is felt everywhere. . . . It’s the quintessential coming-of-age story of a young person. . . . A universal tale of empowerment . . . As Anaya wrote in the opening of the novel, ‘Ultima came to stay with us . . .’ Fifty years later, she’s still here and stronger than ever.” ―Albuquerque Journal

“One of the foundational texts of Chicano literature.” —Los Angeles Review of Books

“Anaya’s voice [is] rich as mahogany, terse as a stream.” —The New York Times