Monday, April 18, 2005

New Book - Chicano Detective Fiction

The following is from the Spring catalog of McFarland publishing.

Chicano Detective Fiction: A Critical Study of Five Novelists
Susan Baker Sotelo
$32 softcover
ISBN 0-7864-2¡85-¡
Notes, bibliography, index
June, 2005

In his 1985 novel Partners in Crime, writer Rolando Hinojosa introduced homicide investigator Rafe Buenrostro, the first Chicano protagonist in one of the most enduring genres of modern literature. Since that time, Chicano writers have embraced the detective novel, successfully diversifying and refining a traditional Anglo American and British genre.The 21 whodunits of Hinojosa, Rudolfo Anaya, Lucha Corpi, Michael Nava and Manuel Ramos are closely studied in this groundbreaking work. The models, both contemporary and Romantic, of this relatively new Chicano genre are first discussed. Next come detailed analysis and reviews of such novels as Shaman Winter, Partners in Crime, Cactus Blood and 18 others, focusing on how each writer departs from contemporary detective genre formula, uniquely rendering a particular regional or cultural variation of what it means to be Chicano. It is this departure from the norm that defines their writings and distinguishes them from the Anglo American and British whodunit. Interviews with the writers conclude the work.

About the Author
Currently working on a novel, Susan Baker Sotelo is a Spanish teacher in Tucson, Arizona.
More info about this upcoming book on this page.