This frank new collection masterfully combines accounts from Gonzalez's personal life with reflections on writers who have influenced him. The collection offers an in-depth meditation on the development of gay Chicano literature and the responsibilities of the Chicana/o writer.
Widely acclaimed for giving a voice to the Chicano GLBT community, Gonzalez's writing spans a wide range of genres: poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and bilingual books for children and young adults. Introduced by Women's Studies professor Maythee Rojas, Retablos collects thirteen pieces that together provide a narrative of Gonzalez's life from his childhood through his career as a writer, critic, and mentor.
In Red-Inked Retablos, Gonzalez continues to expand his oeuvre on mariposa (literally, "butterfly") memory, a genre he pioneered in which Chicano/a writers openly address non-traditional sexuality. For Gonzalez, mariposa memory is important testimony not only about reconfiguring personal identity in relation to masculinity, culture, and religion. It's also about highlighting values like education, shaping a sex-positive discourse, and exercising agency through a public voice. It's about making the queer experience a Chicano experience and the Chicano experience a queer one.
Share This Book: