Talking with Rudy

In this unusual, magical realistic memoir, Dr. Irene I. Blea shares frequent conversations with award-winning author, Rudolfo Anaya, who died in 2020. They were friends for over forty years, shared working on the University of New Mexico campus, and lived near one another. Anaya is best known for his book, Bless Me, Ultima. In this volume, Dr. Blea recalls platicas, conversations, with her friend, Rudy, about the essence of his writing, growing up in New Mexico, the nature of university life, the art and business of writing, publishing, death, dying, and spirituality. Blea, also an award-winning author and a sociologist, draws from their shared community understanding, and her ability to write in a multidisciplinary manner to poetically close the gap between literature and social science to render us an opportunity to say good-bye to Rudolfo Anaya, the godfather of Chicano literature.