English Department

at the University of Michigan-Flint

scisnerosBOOM. 1984. Sandra Cisneros’ poetic novella House on Mango Street is published, and for the first time the literature by a U. S. Latina reaches a mass audience, ushering in the extraordinary explosion of Latina poets, playwrights, and novelists who have followed. Sandra was born in Chicago, the third child (of seven) and only daughter of a Mexican father and Chicana mother. Although she now resides in central Mexico, she lived for several years in THE purple house in San Antonio, Texas, a community that inspired many of the actual settings and characters in her stories (often getting her characters’ names from the San Antonio phone directory!).  Originally and still a feisty, courageous poet, she is best known for two poetry collections, My Wicked, Wicked Ways  (1987) and Loose Woman (1994). Her masterpiece—to date—is the majestic novel Caramelo  (2002) which spans a century of  family history: “I have invented what I do not know and exaggerated what I do to continue the family tradition of telling healthy lies.” This epic novel perfects her unique storytelling style which blends the culture and language of her familial Spanish with her English speaking homeland.  Breaking the silences in the lives of women, Cisneros embraces her spiritual and creative life “on the border,” as she observes: “I always want to explore the things we are not supposed to.” (post by Jackie Zeff)