Sometimes it takes special monthly observations to highlight what other cultures are doing. Having been educated in the US my whole academic life means 90% of my classes were America-centric and it wasn’t until college that I was introduced to literature from other nations (besides the UK). This is why National Hispanic Heritage Month—celebrated in the US from September 15 to October 15, is so special. Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to highlight the rich and varied history of Latinx people as well as their contributions to American culture (and let's be honest: the world—though I may be biased). The commemoration dates back to 1968 when it was only a week long, before it then expanded to the current 30-day period under President Regan in 1988.
Why mid-month September to mid-month October? Hispanic Heritage Month is set up to coincide with the September 15 Independence days in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, as well as Mexico (September 16) and Chile (September 18). Belize, whose independence Day is celebrated on September 21, might seem like an odd addition to my list, considering it is known as ‘British Honduras’, but I’ve decided to embrace our Central American neighbor and include them in these literary good times.
Latin America is rich in its storytelling traditions (oral and otherwise)—a tradition that continues in the equisite quality of its writers today. And to help you celebrate, I’ve gathered some classic works by celebrated authors from across its historical and geographic landscape. Fair warning: you might want to brush up on your 10th-grade Spanish—some of these selections don’t yet have translations!
Zee Edgell, Beka Lamb (Belize): A coming-of-age story, covering a few months in the life of 14-year-old Beka Lamb, set against the coming-of-age of Belize and its struggle for independence.
Gabriela Mistral, Selected Poems (Chile): Although Pablo Neruda is the most celebrated poet hailing from Chile, Gabriela Mistral was the first Latin American To receive a Nobel Prize in Literature, so take that Patriarchy!
Juan Rulfo, Pedro Páramo (Mexico): My personal favorite, Pedro Paramo is about a man in search of his birth father in his recently-deceased mother’s hometown, only to find an actual ghost town, inhabited by ghosts!
José León Sánchez, La Isla se los hombres solos (Costa Rica): The book is technically a novel about a man unjustly accused of murder and sentenced to hard labor at a penal colony, but it’s pretty much León Sánchez’s memoir.
Claudia Lars, la casa de vidrio y otros poemas (El Salvador): A collection of poetry on themes of love, friendship and life.
Rigoberta Menchú, I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian woman in Guatemala (Guatemala): Menchú’s autobiography about life as an oppressed indigenous woman in Latin America.
Froylán Turcios, Almas trágicas (Honduras): A (kinda gross for these modern times) love triangle from the 1900s between a 27-year-old heir, a 40-year-old commerce tycoon, and the 16-year-old girl with whom they’re both in love.
Rubén Darío, Stories and poems = Cuentos y poesías (Nicaragua): A dual-language book featuring selections of Darío’s poems in Spanish, accompanied by their English translation.
AN ADDED BONUS: peruse these great reads while listening to a starter playlist of musicians from the Latin American nations we’re highlighting this month. Feel free to suggest others in the comments below!
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
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