Public television station KNME-TV, Channel 5, presents a new program honoring the annual Albuquerque Museum Foundation’s “Notable New Mexican” on Colores! “From Curandera To Chupacabra: The Stories of Rudolfo Anaya,” airs Wednesday, April 25 at 7 p.m. and again at 10:30 p.m. It repeats Friday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 29 at 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Photo: Rudolfo Anaya
Myth-maker, magician, grandfather and guru of Chicano literature, author Rudolfo Anaya is best known for introducing readers to the landscapes and characters of New Mexico, reawakening traditions and defying stereotypes of the Mexican-American experience.
Anaya published his first novel in 1972, a coming of age story set in rural New Mexico about a boy cast into a spiritual world of contradictions and guided by a traditional healer or “curandera.”
The book, “Bless Me Ultima,” put New Mexico on the literary map and gave birth to Anaya’s prolific writing career, which has included a steady and diverse flow of novels, short stories, mysteries, plays, epic poems, and children’s books. His work has earned him national honors, such as the 1971 Premio Quinto Sol Literary Award and the 2001 Presidential Medal of Arts.
“’From Curandera to Chupacabra’ looks at the struggles and exultations of the creative process of writing from the standpoint of an author whose life is steeped in New Mexican tradition,” Kelly Kowalski, KNME producer said.
“Steering away from a strict biographical sketch, the documentary has friends, colleagues and other writers reading excerpts from Rudolfo Anaya’s novels, short stories, plays, travelogues, and children’s books, each contemplating their personal perspective on Anaya’s prose. Anaya talks about how he shapes his writing from influences such as his childhood, family, the New Mexico’s landscapes and traditional folktales, as well as the mythological and dream-like symbols arising from his own subconscious world.
Besides being dubbed ‘the grandfather of Chicano literature,’ Rudolfo Anaya is committed to writing about la raza the people, and la tierra - the land - a commitment that has earned him an honorary place in the hearts of New Mexicans,” Kowalski said.
Each year the Albuquerque Museum Foundation celebrates individuals for their achievements and contributions to New Mexico. An excerpt of the KNME production will be shown at the Notable New Mexican event beginning at the Museum on April 22 at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception at the museum. Attendees will then go to the Hotel Albuquerque for a dinner, which begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $150 each and benefit the museum’s educational programming, exhibits and acquisitions. For tickets or more information, call 842-0111.
Media Contact: Evy Todd, (505) 277-1218; e-mail: etodd@unm.edu