ee reed Bookbtrd Carey rare Roxanne Harde \ iii j May Everyone Really Mean Everyone: Interpreting Reality through A Our Own Patterns Beatriz Aleubierre Moya |v Pat Mora: Transcending the Continental Divide One Book at a Time Denise Davila | 1 Learning in Francisco Hinojosa’s Children's Fiction Ménica Bernal Bejarle | 13 Maria Elena Walsh and the Art of Subversive Children’s Literature Alina Dunbar | 22 ‘The New Children of Resistance: Becoming a Child through the Stories Told by the EZLN Rodrigo Mier Gonzalez Cadaval and Irene Fenoglio Limén | 31 Magical Realist Moments in Malin Alegria’s Border Town Series Amy Cummins and Tiffany Cano | 42 Chilean Children’s Literature and National Identity: Post-Dictatorship Discourses of Chileanness through the Representation of Indigenous People Tsabel Tbaceta G. | 53 E1Fulano and Patty Swan: Rhetorically Queering the Island in The Meaning of Consuelo Hilary Brewster | 65 - To Arrange Life among Books Socorro Venegas | 76 Puerto Rican Children’s Literature and the Need for Afro-Puerto Rican Stories Carmen Milagros Terres-Rivera | 81 52.3-2014 | i TBBY.ORGGabrid Garcia a quer Cien aos de soledad Editorial Sudamericana Interpretation of our reality through patterns not our own, serves only to make us ever more unknown, ever less free, ever more solitary. Gabriel Garcia Marquez 1g this introduction, I learned of the death winner, Gabriel g days, a multi- hile prey of Colombian writer and Nobel Pri arcia Marquez. Over the followi tude of endearing anecdotes invaded social networks. Apparently, everyone had something to say concerning their own experience of reading “Gabo” (as he is fondly called in México) during early youth, While his work is not considered a part of what is tradition literature, some of his short stories— b ally understood as children’s he Happy Summer of Mrs. Forbes, The Very old Man ‘cht is like Water—have been published as mit that his classic novel, One n books. However, most adr Hundred Years of Solitude, was the one book that left an indel 4 sort of initiation into becoming trained Mexican author, Garcia Marquez ible mark on their lives: readers. Thus, although not a had a great influence not only among writers, but among Mexican est achievement consisted precisely in people in general. His grea 2014 BY BOOKBIRD, INC ETULOy WEVA] ues Ajjeay euoAsanz Aey fam f=) c a _ oO c i 4 =| Se} feb) = ul (3) oa 2! n =] rama 9°) = co 4 Oo (ee, = io} =) 3°) 8 = = PCa en ay Pee century orn) is a full time Prote: Department in Morelos crs Soyby istic, INTRODUCTION i = letting us see the huge coincidences between the magica, yet rah way we view the world from México, Colombia, or any other cous, ad i‘ 5 TY in Latin America. Since the appearance of Garcia Marque?’ early Novels during the mid-twentieth century, magical realism has becomeaveha of identification for Latin American culture as a whole Very few artistic expressions signify such a radical break rom ih traditional canon. Magical realism is an essential component of post. colonial literary practice, More than 4 literary style, it embodie. philosophy, based on the recognition of otherness as an essential part oneself, Empowered by its limitless logic, magical realism Pushes itself apart from those principles imposed by the literary canon that has prevailed throughout the history of literatwn and supported the political hegemony of national state and international powers. Up against this exclusive an excluding unit, magical realism advocates for inclusive. ness. Itaims to explore and transgress political, geograph- ical, generic, and ontological boundaries, allowing the co-existence of spaces, worlds, entities, and systems thar would be irreconcilable in other forms of fiction (Faris and Zamora 5-7). Magical realism focuses on plotting a narrative that interweaves reality and imagination, gracefully erasing the line between them. Through this discursive strategy—so common and even necessary in Latin American everyday life—the narrator authenti- cates fantastic events by presenting them as natural facts, By building bridges between different worlds, storytellers have served as decolonizing agents, lending their voices to marginal whisperers, submerged traditions, and emer gent literatures (Faris), Let the sad news of the departure of our beloved Gabo provide us with a new excuse to reflect on the way in which the development of these marvelous and spontaneous narratives have impacted children’s literature in both México and Latin America. Rather than proposing a topic of discussion, this special issue of Bookbind expresses a necessary claim for inclusiveness: “may everyone really mean everyone.” Accordingly, we have gathered seven articles addressing the construction and affirmation of collective identities through children’s books in the neocolonial context; more specifically, in México and Latin America, Each of these pieces focuses on the strategies used by chil- dren's authors, since the 1960s, to resist narrative models imposed by the traditional canon, and proposes new parameters for understanding childhood beyond nationalist concepts. From different approaches, these papers discuss the notion of boundary: in the geographical sense of “border,” in the renegotiation of marginality, and in the redefinition of limits between the real and the imaginary. satan the one hand, in the case of boundaries, México is particularly interesting because of its proximity to the United States and the large number of Mexicans who have crossed the northern border in search of IBBY.ORG vi | BOOKBIRD ee SeasINTRODUCTION work and a more prosperous life, creating a Mexican-American commu- nity with its own traditions and identity On the other hand, the presence of more than fifly indigenous nations across México. each one with its own language, makes it rather difficult to imagine our culture and iden- tity in terms of exch Neverthe- less, the idea of a unified “Mexican identity” has haunted fe ao political leaders since the early years of the independent . period, turning chiklhood into the matrix of a promised national unity Since the second half of nineteenth century, the canon ‘of Mexican children’s literature has been built on the base af foreign models, which have been translated and adapted ty local contexts in order to strengthen national identity among future citizens, ‘The spirit of deeply nationalistic andl liberal works—-such as De Amicis’ Italian Cuore and the French Simon de Nantwa by Jussieu, among, many others—have been widely adopted by Mexican writers, publishers and illustrators, At the turn of the twentieth century, the Mexican Revolution brought an extended period of violence, as well as a profound process of changes in national culture. Between 1920 and 1960, a frantic search for “true Mexican identity” (as if such a thing really existed) shook up the world of literature, visual arts, music, and mass media. The authors of children’s books turned their attention to popular culture in order to put together a literary corpus that could be considered as “strictly Mexican.” Among them was the Chiapas writer Blanca Lydia Trejo, who published thirteen titles between 1935 and 1959, the last of which was a collection of indigenous legends for children. She also wrote a history of Mexican children’s literature, in which she said: I wanted to visit every corner of México, and learn all its inde- scribable legends. To reach those ranches hidden among the mountains, where the fertile imagination of countrymen has created many beings, with whom they share the miracle of corn and poppy. I wanted to descend through the serenity of its valleys, where the land, sometimes wet and sometimes warm, brings forth perennial coffee bushes or nopales, but in whose polychromy one can hear the weeping of the goddess Cibucoath, which has come down to us with the name of La Llorona. As shown in this excerpt from her book, Trejo could not help but identify nation with territory. Her notion of the “Mexican being’—as well as almost everyone else’s in that time—was inseparable from the geographical boundaries that surrounded it. Following the 1968 student movement and its bloody outcome, the Mexican fiesta came to a tragic end. Revolutionary nationalism lost its strength and legitimacy, while the Latin American boom reached the IBBY.ORG 523-2014 | viiINTRODUCTION sa Mexican frontier, Novelists and poets from all mous through over the continent b their writings and defense of social action. Many of them reached audiences and markets beyond nslation and travel, . Jorge Luis Borges, and s through exi Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, Juan Rulfo, Carlos Fuentes, Octavio Paz, among Tnany others, strongly opposed the ideology of nineteenth-century nationalism and the univer- salist philosophical ca s based on the non that was criteria of Western superiority. This movement represented a rebellion against imposed models of thought, as well as a new form of resistance to neocolonial domination, through specific literary practices. From that moment on, Mexican children’s literature began a slow process of transforma- tion. While State institu tions continued promoting nationalism, a new genera- tion of writers preferred to emphasize cultural speci- ficity and difference. The very definition of what it meant to be Mexican was questioned and redefined. As the political frontier between México and U.S. became more and more strongly guarded, the Mexican population across the border expanded, developing new forms of resistance and solidarity. Chicanos raised their voices with a new sense of belonging that looked beyond physical barriers in search of an identity that was rooted in the legendary Aztec past, as well as the most baroque symbols of Catholic spiritualism. Understanding borderlands as implies a proce to live in. Ie involves the development of cultural consciousness as way of survival, resisting the mainstream and reinterpreting cultural differ- ence asa place of power. “Nepantla is the Nahuatl word for an in-between state, the terrain one crosses when moving from one place Nepantla” of creating an alternative space uncert: n to another, when changing from one class, race or sexual orientation to another, when traveling from vii | BOOKBIRD ‘one’s current position into a new identity. The Mexican immigrant, at the moment of crossing the barbed wired fence into a hostile ‘paradise’ of el norte, the U.S. is caught in a state of nepantla? (Anzaldia180). In her article “Pat Mora: Tran. ‘cending Borders across the Americas,” Denise Davila discusses the concept of Nepantla as char- acterized by Chicana poet Pat Mora, and defines it asa “conceptual cosmopolitan interface between different cultures, languages, and spirituality that reflects the territorial interface between nations’ borderlands.” Davila also explores Mora’s promotion of “mestiza consciousness” through her picture books, which encourage Chicano women and girls to embrace their Spanish and indigenous heritage by becoming familiar with Mexican syncretic traditions and beliefs, such as the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe. : Borderland’s is also the central concern of Amy Cummins and Tiffany Cano, — who discuss “Magical Realist Moments in Malin Alegria’s Border Town Series.” They describe Alegria as “a Mexican American author who writes culturally specific literature about Mexican Alegria’s Border Town tures folk legends (such as La Santa muerte or La Llorona) challenging official reli narrative Amerie: series fe gious teachings about unapproved practices and approved gender behavior. As Cummings and Cano explain, magical realism intensifies the narrative tension, blurring the line between the supernatural and the natural, ‘Through this literary device, Alegria accomplishes two she substantiates different tasks at the same tim Mexican American folklore as a legitimate and necessary mode of knowledge transmission while subverting the discourse of power relations ters ni Representation of extraordinary chat ind even more extraordinary events is one the main strategies for achieving an acsthet response among child readers. Krom this perspe* tive, hyperbole serves ay an important devs tan) ORto interweave fantasy with reality, combining didactic intent with an aesthetic purpose. Pethaps this is the essential feature of the new generation of children’s authors in México. Francisco Hino- josa is one of the first examples of this transforma- tion of the genre, from mainly didactic to strongly literary. Though, as Ménica Bernal points out in her article “Learning in Francisco Hinojosa’s Children’s Fiction,” his narrative can be under- stood as a form of ethics training, “focused on the improvement and transformation of otherness, represented by the narrative scenarios in which the author initially places his characters.” Bernal emphasizes Hinojosa’s vocation as a modern fabulist, as well as his importance within the formation of a national children’s literary canon. She describes Hinojosa’s stories as “moralizing allegories, presenting aggressive and misbehaved characters, which are redirected to normal and accepted frames of behavior.” Usually presented in a grotesque and humorous tone—such as the dreadful protagonist in La Peor seniora del mundo [The Worst Lady in the World]—his characters are immersed in absurd and exaggerated situa- tions. Through the use of hyperbole, the need for balance is exposed. The story comes to an end only when the balance has been restored. The use of rhetorical figures as persuasive training strategies is also the concern of Irene Fenoglio and Rodrigo Mier. In their article “The New Children of Resistance: Becoming a Child through the Stories Told by the EZLN,” they explore narratives from the Zapatista movement 4s a resource for the constitution of a particular kind of subject, which they call “the new children of resistance”: “subjects [that] are in the process of exiting or leaving the status of immaturity and dependency in which they have lived with respect to the authority of the State.” As Fenoglio and Mier show, the tales of “Old Antonio” and “Don Durito de la Lacandona’—originally presented 48 parts of rebel communiqués—contribute to the redefinition of Chiapas native communi- ties as agents of resistance. The article discusses the ontological status of indigenous people as Perpetual children, as well as its implications regarding their identity as legitimate citizens. Negotiating identity in a neocolonial context IBBY.ORG INTRODUCTION is also the focus of Hilary Brewster's article “El Fulano and Patty Swan: Queering the Island in The Meaning of Consuelo.” To analyze Judith Ortiz Cofer’s novel, Brewster—as Denise Davila does—utilizes the concept of “mestiza conscious~ ness"; however, in this case, it not only implies ethnic and spiritual mixture, but also the defi- nition and embracement of sexual identity. The character of Consuelo, a teenage girl growing up in Americanized Puerto Rico, finds herself at the mercy of dominant paradigms regarding sex, gender, language, culture, race, and nationality. ‘As the story develops, she must define her own cultural and sexual identity, while at the same time experiencing what Brewster describes as “a push and pull of dominance and resistance.” In politically and culturally repressive envi- ronments, children’s narratives often become spaces of resistance, in which a rebellious posi- tion is easier to express. Maria Elena Walsh’s stories and musicalized poems are a milestone in the repertoire of Latin American children’s lyrics. With metaphoric language, she incor- porates the concept of resistance and cultural identity into children’s songs during Argentina's military dictatorship. As Alina Dunbar shows in her article “Maria Elena Walsh and the Art of Subversive Children’s Literature,” this prolific author renewed the traditional view of chil- dren's songs and books in Argentina, Writing under repressive governments, she used chil- dren's literature as a vehicle to criticize authority. Dunbar examines the novel Dailan Kifki, in which the protagonist is the sole voice of reason. By comparing this story to Lewis Carrol’s Alice in Wonderland, Dunbar points out Walsh’s use of a rhetoric of absurdity as a way to express her transgressive attitude regarding traditional gender roles; “Walsh drew inspiration from Carroll but re-crafted his method to fit her own context, providing her readers with new ways of perceiving the world.” : Military dictatorships have a tremendous impact over collective and individual identi- ties, Unfortunately, resistance strategies are not always effective enough to preserve shattered spirits, The destruction of cultural heri during violent and tepressive periods, and its $2.3-2014 | ixINTRODUCTION subsequent reconstruction, has extensive conse- quences for notions of memory and identity. In her article, “Chilean Children’s Literature and National Identity: Post-Dictatorship Discourses of Chileanness through the Representation of Indigenous People,” Isabel Ibaccta analyzes images of aboriginality created in Chilean narra~ tives for children after 1989, describing the way in which cultural practices and geographical motifs drive the renovated, post-dictatorship discourses of national identity. As Ibaceta argues, through representations of idealized indigenous nations, as well as the depiction of geographical environ- ment and natural landscapes, these texts address the value of cultural heritage. She also discusses the political implications of this nation-building. discourse, based on the valuation of multicultur- alism, “which can stand for a model of a more promising and respectful (ideologically, cultur- ally and environmentally) society.” Following the articles, this issue includes several columns: in Children & Their Books, Socorro Venegas discusses her role as director of the National Reading Rooms Program in México, and Carmen Milagros surveys Puerto Rican children’s literature and emphasizes the need for more African-Puerto Rican texts. Our Letters columns come from Sergio de Régules, who discusses storytelling and science in the Mexican context, and from Gaby Vallejo, who surveys young adult literature in Bolivia. The International Youth Library in Munich has provided several fine reviews of scholarly books on children’s literatur in the Books on Books section, We have several postcard reviews of new books for children and young adults throughout the issue, which concludes with Liz Page’s Focus IBBY. In it, Liz brings us up to date on IBBY’s many activities to promote children’s books around the world. In sum, each of the pieces in this issue of Bookbird is an invitation to consider the social function of children’s literature in terms of inci. siveness. However, this assertion goes beyong the obvious. As magical realism has taught yy it is not only about including the “other,” by, more about recognizing him (or her, or them) a4 an essential part of oneself. To do this, we may follow Garcia Marquez’s example and interpre reality through our own patterns, building ou identities on the basis of our own experience making use of humor, nonsense and metaphor, i; order to create a poetic of otherness that includes usall, so that everyone really means everyone... Works Cited Children’s Books De Amicis, Edmondo. Cuore. 1886. Milan; Rizzoli, 1965. Print. Jussieu, Laurent de. Simon de Nantua, ou le ‘marchand forain. Paris: Colas, 1880. Print. Secondary Sources Alcubierre Moya, Beatriz. Ciudadanos del future; una historia de las publicaciones para nitios en el siglo XIX mexicano. México: El Colegio de México/UAEM, 2010. Print. Anzaldia, Gloria. The Gloria Anzaldiia Reader. Durham: Duke UP, 2009. Print. Faris, Wendy B. Ordinary Enchantments; Magical Realism and the Remystification of Narrative. Nashville: Vanderbilt UP, 2004. Print. Faris, Wendy B. and Lois Parkinson Zamora. Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community. Nashville: Duke UP, 1995. Print. Marquez, Gabriel Garcia. “Nobel Lecture: ‘The Solitude of Latin America”. Nobelprize. org. Nobel Media AB 2013. Web. 15 May 2014. Trejo, Blanca Lydia. La Jiteratura infantile en México, desde los aztecas hasta nuestros dias México, 1950. Print. Ase eve reer septs ee qa harder allqeet st seer fea ll tal WSererkes VO a ee Pos ininden x | BOOKBIRD IBBY.ORG