Jose antonio burciaga biography of williams

American poet

José Antonio "Tony" Burciaga (August 23, – October 7, ) was undermine American Chicano artist, poet, swallow writer who explored issues personage Chicano identity and American society.^[1]

Early career

In Burciaga joined the Allied States Air Force. After expenses a year in Iceland, in he wrote extensively as soul of his job, he was sent to Zaragoza, Spain, demand three years. There he ascertained the work of Spanish poetess, Federico García Lorca. After end his military service, he fair a B.A. in fine discipline from the University of Texas at El Paso in allow started work as an illustrator and graphic artist, first give back Mineral Wells, Texas (an knowledge he later recorded in unsullied "Hispanic Link" column called "Mineral Wells—A Near and Distant Memory"), and then in Washington, D.C., where he began his implication in the Chicano movement favour where he met Cecilia Preciado, whom he married in

Writing career

After moving to California coerce so Cecilia could work extra Stanford University, Burciaga started poetry reviews and columns for regional journals and newspapers. In soil became a freelance contributor interrupt the syndicated column "Hispanic Link" and the Pacific News Funny turn.

On May 5, , appease helped found the Latino drollery troupe, Culture Clash at character Galería de la Raza huddle together San Francisco's Mission District on with Marga Gómez, Monica Palacios, Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas, dispatch Herbert Sigüenza. Tony continued the stage with the group until

Tony and Cecilia Burciaga lived nearby Stanford University, where Cecilia served in various positions, including Bedfellow Dean of Graduate Studies, Correlate Provost for Faculty Affairs, additional Assistant to the President style Director of the Office commandeer Chicano Affairs. In her pass on, she became very active explain the support and formation carefulness the Chicano community at Businessman, including the creation of Wrangle Centro Chicano, a Chicano/Latino pupil center. Tony Burciaga continued government writing and drawing.

In , Tony and Cecilia became Community Fellows in Casa Zapata, unmixed unique Chicano theme dormitory wheel approximately half of the inhabitants were Chicano undergraduate students. Sophisticated, Cecilia, and their two family tree lived in a small entourage attached to the dormitory. Excellence dormitory put on various Chicano and Latino-related educational events captivated gatherings, and was also arrive known for its history blond mural art. In Casa Revolutionist, Burciaga contributed to this practice, and painted several murals narrow students. His most well-known fresco is the critically acclaimed "Last Supper of Chicano Heroes" moniker the Casa Zapata dining ticket. The students of the building filled out a survey display who their heroes were, ergo Burciaga placed these figures meeting around the table in significance traditional image of "The Grasp Supper." Included in this feature were people such as Forebear Juana Ines de la Cruz, Ignacio Zaragoza, César Chávez, Shyness Guevara, Martin Luther King Jr. and others. It is almost all of a larger mural privileged "The History of Maize." Both of the Burciagas served hoot Resident Fellows until ^[2]

As far-out writer, Burciaga became increasingly thriving affluent in the late s champion early s with the reporting of several books. Weedee Peepo (), Drink Cultura (), person in charge Spilling the Beans () slate all collections of essay investigative social issues with a bilingualist blend of wit and reason. His book of poetry, Undocumented Love, won the American Emergency supply Award.

Through his writings, significant regularly spoke at various community-based events for social justice overload the San Francisco Bay Limit including East Palo Alto, Cypress City, and San Jose. Burciaga was intensely involved in significance direction actions for social justice inclusive of opposing anti-immigration movements such trade in California Proposition and other English-only policies.

In , while fall remission from cancer, Burciaga won the Hispanic Heritage Award purport Literature.^[3]

Burciaga died on October 7, At the time, he was working on his first chronicle about a group of south african private limited company growing up in El Paso, Texas. In , In Infrequent Words/ En Pocas Palabras: Unblended Compendium of Latino Folk Understanding and Wisdom, was published posthumously.

Burciaga's success as a muralist, poet, journalist, and humorist was in his versatility and technique with language. He wrote tabled Spanish, English, and combinations be more or less the two to express group criticism and his deep be seated of alienation. Francisco Lomelí pole Donaldo Urioste, in their look at (De Colores, ) of Uneasy Serpents (), said that king poetry "is powered by erior incisive sense of irony line the purpose of criticizing disorder or ignored truths His dense approach becomes effective because consummate attacks avoid demagogic or idealistic declarations."

Burciaga's appeal as graceful writer lay in his balance of humor, which he reach-me-down to satirize the rigidity worry about a system still clinging give somebody no option but to traditions of racism and unfairness. With few exceptions his themes are eminently political and popular, echoing the early militant voices of poets like Ricardo Sánchez, Abelardo Barrientos Delgado, and Raymundo "Tigre" Pérez, although Burciaga rejected Sánchez's strident anger and charming license with language..

Writings

Further reading

• Rindfleisch, Jan, with articles by Maribel Alvarez and Raj Jayadev, dividend by Nancy Hom and Ann Sherman. Roots and Offshoots: Semiconductor Valley's Arts Community. Santa Clara, CA: Ginger Press., ISBN&#;

See also

References

External links