![]() The success of the book cemented his place as a leading Chicano author. ![]() While working as a college instructor and publishing some stories and poems in the late 1960s, Rivera wrote his first book,… y no se lo tragó la tierra (… And the Earth Did Not Devour Him) (1971). in Spanish literature from the University of Oklahoma. After finding it difficult to obtain work as a high school teacher because of his race, Rivera returned to Southwest Texas for his master's degree in education, graduating in 1964. Rivera earned his bachelor's degree in English from Southwest Texas State College in 1958. Though he was raised migrating between agricultural locations in Texas and the Midwest, he graduated from high school and went on to college. Rivera was born in Texas in Crystal City, Texas, on December 22, 1935, to Mexican parents who immigrated to the United States and worked as migrant farm workers. Though he thought about telling her at one point, he decided to do so when he was an adult. Vignette 1Įvery night he drank the glass of water his mother put under his bed for the spirits. He is falling asleep, not sure if he is awake or dreaming, and experiences a flood of memories and images. He is trying to come to terms with a lost year, including when and how it began. … And the Earth Did Not Devour Him opens with the introduction of the recurring, unnamed young male character in the book. He had a deep sympathy and respect for humanity, especially for the migrant workers from whom he drew his inspiration to write and work building a better society in the Americas." PLOT SUMMARY The Lost Year Some of them see it as political, but Luis Leal, writing in Dictionary of Literary Biography, believes, "Rivera transcended the political. Whether … And the Earth Did Not Devour Him is a collection of short stories or a novel, most critics believe it reveals the realities of Chicano social history. A number of them function as anecdotal glimpses into opinions, mentalities, and lives of migrant workers and their families while revealing deeper concerns. The stories are tied together by a young male narrator who is trying to understand who he is and remember things he does not necessarily completely understand, culminating in the last story of the book, "Under the House." Many of the stories are subjective, involve characters that change from story to story, and lack a definite chronology. In Book Report, Sherry York claims "while seem simple, they are powerful tales that portray a dignity in the face of adversity." However, there is critical division over whether the book is a collection of related short stories or a novel. Several stories in the book are specifically about education, unsurprising considering the author's primary career was working at various universities as an instructor, professor, and administrator.Ĭritics agree about the strength of the stories Rivera tells in … And the Earth Did Not Devour Him. In addition, Rivera underscores the importance of education as a means of liberation for farm workers and their children. Religion and faith play important roles in their lives as do family and community. While there is much suffering and uncertainty in many of the stories, Rivera also emphasizes the resilience and determination of the migrant workers. Rivera explores the effects of economic and social injustice. Set after World War II, from about 1945 to 1955, the stories and vignettes that make up … And the Earth Did Not Devour Him show the racism and discrimination Chicano migrant workers encountered, even among their peers. Drawing on his background and own experiences, he explores many aspects of this lifestyle and how it affects those directly involved. Rivera was himself the son of migrant workers and a migrant worker himself until he completed junior college. ![]() A later translation by Evangelina Vigil-Piñón, first published in 1988, is considered the definitive English version.įrom its first publication,… And the Earth Did Not Devour Him has been praised by critics for its depiction of the harsh life of migrant agricultural workers in the United States, its sense of realism that had previously not been a part of Chicano literature, and its innovative literary form. Y no se lo tragó la tierra was first published in 1971 in a bilingual edition, with an English translation by Herminio Ríos. Written in 19, the book was awarded the premiere Quinto Sol Prize for literature in 1970…. Its success made author Tomás Rivera a leading figure in this genre. Originally published in Spanish as … y no se lo tragó la tierra,… And the Earth Did Not Devour Him is a seminal work of Chicano literature and one of the first books in the emerging literature of Mexican Americans.
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