Anaya: similarities between Bless Me, Ultima and his life


Rudolfo Anaya

Anaya's life

Born October 30, 1937 to Rafaelita Mares and Martin Anaya, Rudolfo Anaya had vivid memories of his childhood. He was told how La Grande (a curandera) helped with his birth, and how he crawled toward the pencil and paper, choosing education over the life of a vaquero or farmer. His father was a vaquero, a rancher to roam the llano; his mother's family were farmers working sunup to sundown. In addition to his parents, his family consisted of him, 4 sisters and 2 brothers who spent his childhood fighting in W.W.II. His childhood was surrounded by sisters, and the neighboring Chavez brothers. With the Chavez boys he would swim, fish (in lakes with beautiful golden carp), fight and swear like animals. Rudolfo grew very close to an aunt who lived with them, and who died during his childhood. One of the most tragic instances in his life occurred when he was swimming: he dived into a pool of water and fractured his neck. Over many years he was able to regain his movement. Anaya went on to college at the University of New Mexico. It was a depressing time for him, and from the influence of his freshman English course, began to write poetry and novels which he would later burn. Eventually college ended and Anaya married, and was strongly encouraged by his wife to write. He followed her suggestion and started his 7 year journey to write Bless Me, Ultima. After being refused publication by countless publishers, a group of Chicanos at the University of California at Berkeley published his book. Immediately it won the Premio Quinto Sol Award for the best book published by a Chicano in 1972. Since then Anaya has traveled to give speeches about his book and life, and has continued writing and teaching English.



Similarities between Anaya's life and Bless Me, Ultima



  • Antonio's father is a vaquero and his mother is from a farming family
  • Antonio is surrounded by sisters during his childhood
  • Antonio's brothers are off fighting World War II
  • Antonio and his friends often fight and swear (one is even given an animal name: horse)
  • Ultima comes to live with Antonio and later dies
  • Antonio waits to see a golden carp come many times
  • Florence drowns after hitting his head on the bottom of a pool of water