Rudolfo Anaya, the author known for his 1972 novel, Bless Me, Ultima, died Sunday at 82, the Albuquerque Journal reports.
Anaya, widely considered one of the key figures in Chicano literature, died in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, after what his niece called a “long illness,” according to the Associated Press.
Anaya was born in rural New Mexico in 1937, and raised in the small town of Santa Rosa. He taught English to high school students in Albuquerque for five years before publishing Bless Me, Ultima, his first book.
The book follows a six-year-old boy who befriends a curandera, or native healer, who comes to live with his family. The book was a hit with critics and readers but has been frequently challenged and banned in schools and libraries by those who object to its language and religious content.
Anaya followed up with two sequels, Heart of Aztlan and Tortuga. His other books include a series of mystery novels featuring an Albuquerque detective named Sonny Baca, which started with the 1995 novel Zia Summer. In 2015, he was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham paid tribute to Anaya in a statement, writing, “Through his indelible stories, Rudolfo Anaya, perhaps better than any other author, truly captured what it means to be a New Mexican, what it means to be born here, grow up here and live here.”
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
