Release Day: Alburquerque by Rudolfo Anaya

The latest release from the Father of Chicano Literature and author of the classic, Bless me Ultima, is out today.


Alburquerque by Rudolfo Anaya: A Novel
Open Road Media

Summary

Taking its title from the original spelling of the city's name, Alburquerque is the story of a Chicano boxer's quest for identity

Abrán González always knew he was different. Called a coyote because of his fair skin, the kid from Barelas found escape through boxing and became one of the youngest Golden Gloves champions. But the arrival of a letter from a dying woman turns his entire life into a lie. The revelation that he was adopted makes him feel like an orphan and sends him on a quest to find his birth father.

With the help of his girlfriend, Lucinda, and Joe, a Vietnam veteran, Abrán begins a journey that hurls him from the barrio into a world of greed and political corruption spearheaded by Frank Dominic, a con artist running for mayor with visions of building El Dorado on the Rio Grande.

Rudolfo Anaya's vibrant novel celebrates a land and a people struggling to preserve and reshape ancient tradition. Rich in spirituality and sense of place, Alburquerque cuts across class and ethnic lines to tell a story of hope and displacement, love and regret, and the age-old quest for roots, identity, and family.

About the Author

Rudolfo Anaya is professor emeritus of English at the University of New Mexico.

He has received numerous literary awards, including the Premio Quinto Sol and a National Medal of Arts. He is the author of the classic work Bless Me, Ultima, which was chosen for the National Endowment for the Arts' Big Read. 

Anaya's other books for adults include Tortuga, Heart of Aztlan, Alburquerque, Rio Grande Fall, Shaman Winter, Jemez Spring, Serafina's Stories, The Man Who Could Fly and Other Stories, and Rudolfo Anaya: The Essays. His children's books include Farolitos of Christmas, My Land Sings, Elegy on the Death of César Chávez, Roadrunner's Dance, and The First Tortilla. 

Bless Me, Ultima was adapted into a feature film in 2013. Anaya resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Editorial Reviews

“Anaya spins a touching love story woven into a tale of treachery, a microcosm of the social and economic dislocations squeezing the American Southwest.” —Publishers Weekly

“[Alburquerque] has an intense spirituality that ultimately makes it mesmerizing. Highly recommended.” —Library Journal

“Alburquerque is a rich and tempestuous book, full of love and compassion.” —John Nichols, author of The Milagro Beanfield War

“Alburquerque fulfills two important functions: it restores the missing R to the name of the city, and it shows off Anaya’s powers as a novelist.” —National Public Radio

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