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Born: December 20, 1954 in Chicago, Illinois, United States

Little did she realize when she crafted a series of brief, poetic narratives about growing up in an inner city barrio that her accounts would forever mark the inception of women's participation in Chicano literature. At the time, the narratives were not accepted as part of her master's thesis, as the objective was poetry, so she put them aside. A few years later, Sandra Cisneros offered them up when an acquaintance sought material for publication. And a few more years later, that collection of narratives turned into her widely acclaimed first novel, The House on Mango Street, which has now sold over five million copies. It is now being re-issued in celebration of its 25th anniversary, with a special foreword by the author.

Cisneros did not require an entourage, a prestigious academic appointment, or a Pulitzer to become the iconic writer of Chicano literature. In fact, she continues to live humbly in a town far from the glamour and city lights connected with most big-name writers. But big she is. "If only I could have the Sandra-luck," is the refrain of many young writers. Sandra's appearance at venues in any city guarantees packed audiences and star-struck fans, and academic articles about her work easily quadruple those on other Chicano writers. Her books have been translated into sixteen languages including the unusual Thai, Croatian, Iranian, and Turkish.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is often thought of as the book that launched intrinsically Latin American literature onto the world stage. In a similar way, The House on Mango Street marked the emergence of literature written by Chicanos, that segment of people of Mexican heritage who grow up in the United States and primarily function in English. As Garcia Marquez's characters were born out of Colombian history, so the characters of Cisneros' first novel emerged from her own Chicago barrio.

The House on Mango Street continues to inspire interest and sales. The novel is often selected by public and community libraries as an annual "read;" it is found on college and high school reading lists; and it is even used by leaders of groups like the Girl Scouts to encourage female role models. Its ability to provide multiple levels of understanding surely contributes to its sales. The novel is recognized for its symbolic interpretations and for instilling ethnic awareness in young readers. Readers know she won't shy away from such difficult issues as rape, racism, poverty, and community ostracism, or realities like women being locked into their apartments by their husbands when they leave for work. Librarians and community leaders suggest this novel because they understand that it taps into a spiritual and cultural understanding of women's lives.

Long before her novel garnered attention, Cisneros published her first book of poetry, Bad Boys, in 1980; a second, The Rodrigo Poems, in 1985; and a third, My Wicked, Wicked Ways, in 1987. The House on Mango Street did not have notable sales until after its second release in 1989. During the 1990s, she burst on the scene.

Born in Chicago in 1954, Cisneros grew up "very aware of poverty" in inner city neighborhoods alongside Puerto Ricans and African Americans. Her father instilled in her a "strong self-esteem," and her mother introduced her to libraries and museums. The only daughter among six children, Cisneros was independent, a bookworm who started writing poems at age eleven. She determined her own path, entering college right after high school and then pursuing a masters degree in creative writing at the University of Iowa Writer's Workshop. She returned to Chicago in 1978.

When Cisneros received the first fellowship she applied forma National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant--in 1982, she traveled to Europe and continued writing stories. Before she left, the founder of the Arte Publico Press, Nicolas Kanellos, asked her for some stories. Cisneros gave him the accounts she had written in Iowa, what would later be recognized as the first three chapters of The House on Mango Street. "I would have given them to someone else, but he asked first, so he got them," she says. When he wanted more, she complied. Kanellos wanted to publish them in a book. "That was November 1982. I didn't know better, so I gave him control." Unfortunately, "he decided to copy-edit it; he would add verbs, add objects. He had made a lot of interpolations, changes."

Her poetic reasons had been lost. "I always thought my work was very good. I was doing him a favor." She wanted to stop publication, but a first edition went out. Kanellos stated he could not find her (she was traveling in Europe), and for that reason he went ahead with his corrections. The Arte Publico arrangement was not a lucrative endeavor. "I got paid maybe 500 dollars total, and I would receive it in chorritos (spurts)." Cisneros struggled for years to regain control of her rights as an artist.

In 1987, while surviving on a part-time teacher's salary in northern California, "an independent book seller gave me [literary agent] Susan Bergholz's number, saying 'she's looking for you.'" But Cisneros only tucked the piece of paper into her files. She was feeling despair over her immediate future and drove home for a holiday break with her parents. Her mother told her there was a letter for her from Washington, DC. "It was my second NEA grant. I had forgotten I had applied for it." Now more optimistic, she returned to California, where "Gary Soto got me a writer-in-residence semester in Berkeley." Cisneros launched into finalizing what would comprise her collection of short stories, Woman Hollering Creek, published in 1991.

But first, she contacted Bergholz, who arranged the buyout of her rights for House. Its re-release was followed by Woman Hollering Creek, which received the PEN Center West award for Best Fiction of the year and three additional literary awards. It was also selected as book of the year by several major newspapers. Bergholz asked her, "What else do you have?" and Cisneros responded, "Well, some nasty poetry that no one wants to publish. And she said, 'send it to me.'" Her poems have caused a bit of a scandal from time to time as well as avid praise.

"I think we censor ourselves so much, Loose Woman was peligroso. I like writing from that place that's taboo because as women we always [revert] to the place that's good and correct." The title "was not intended to be scandalous but artistic. It carne from having read and greatly enjoyed the Poemas sueltas by Jaime Sabines." Composed during her 30s, these poems show her literary influences and her growth as a woman. Cisneros states: "I was coming from reading the Boom writers and poets like Parra and Borges. I wanted to cross-pollinate. I liked the short-shorts that were in vogue. Even now I don't think people know about experimental fiction."

Loose Woman, published by New York giant Knopf in 1994, Sold a very respectable 70,000 copies. She published a children's book, Pelitos, that same year, and in 1995 was given a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship--dubbed the "genius grant." This financial stability supported the creation of her extensive second novel, Caramelo, published in 2002. It has received remarkable critical attention and has sold 250,000 copies. In a surprising twist, it has been a big hit in Spain. In a nation that is now greatly influenced by immigrants (some 1.5 minion according to Spain's 2003 census), this immigrant's story (based on the life of Cisneros' father) seems to have struck a chord and symbolized the journey of many families. The novel also highlights textiles, songs, cuisine, and historic locations, details that evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing for one's roots.

Built around the story of a shawl of unique caramel color, the 450 page novel took some ten years to write. Now in her 50s, Cisneros says, "I don't think I want to write a novel again. It was so hard, took so long. I didn't want to write a traditional novel, beginning, middle, end. No! That's not how I write. A story cannot be conventional." The novel itself was a personal journey.

"I am North American, but I was never colonized. My mother grew up with an inferiority complex, clumsy about emotions. I felt the great culture of Mexico through my father. His family was high-level; he always held his head high, told us about his family's prestige. In Mexico he never felt second-class like the Mexicans in Chicago were treated. But my mother gave me the freedom to break rules. If I had had only one of them, I could not be a writer."

Cisneros wanted to "give back to the community, right an inequity, and donate time to helping other writers." Many years ago she established the Macondo Foundation to help new writers. In 2003, the state of Texas honored Cisneros with its annual Medal of the Arts, the same year Vintage Cisneros, a compilation of her works, was published.

Cisneros' advice for new writers is not to give in. "I tell stories. I still feel we [Latinos] have great stories to tell. I see other writers, especially women, who don't give first importance to their work. They give away their time to others....You have to tap into what you like, what you're passionate about. That way research will be fun."

Elizabeth Coonrod Martinez, a frequent contributor to Americas, is Professor of Latin American Literature and Department Chair at Sonoma State University in northern California.

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Gale Document Number: GALE|A199194134

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# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Born: December 20, 1954 in Chicago, Illinois, United States Little did she realize when she crafted a series of brief, poetic narratives about growing up in an inner city barrio that her accounts would forever mark the inception of women's participation in Chicano literature.

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A Latina of many colors, Sandra Cisneros

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After graduating from Loyola University of Chicago, Cisneros embarked on the prestigious Iowa University Writers Workshop. Established true blue American mentality writers were the norm, so Sandra felt frightened. During a discussion on Gaston Bachelard's The Poetics of Space, the topic was the archetypical idea of the house, but for Cisneros it became an issue.

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Sandra Cisneros’s literary work supports the American Dream because her characters show hardwork, and effort. In addition, her writing supports the idea that one groups of people can work hard in order to get to the place they want to. She writes about minorites having dreams and aspirations But also for them to not lose their heritage as well.