Book Description

from the arrival of the Spaniards to present-day influences from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. Essays are not in alphabetical order, but in a classified arrangement. Volume 1, History, begins with an interpretive essay that criticizes the lack of recognition of the Hispanic influence in the building of the American nation. What follows is a collection of essays on such subjects as "The Spanish Exploration, Conquest and Settlement of New Mexico, 1540-1680," "Spanish Culture of the Golden Age and Eighteenth Century," and histories of Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans in the U.S. The volume covering Hispanic literature and art begins with an essay that attempts to foster an appreciation of Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Chicano arts and letters. It goes on to discuss each people's literature by genre, which includes theater, the novel, poetry, and the short story. Other essays discuss women writers, the Hispanic oral tradition, art, music, cinema, and the Spanish-language press.