Last year was an exceptionally difficult time for our local
community and nation. In the midst of many challenges, we lost
our beloved Rudolfo Anaya on June 28, 2020. Known as
“Rudy” to his friends and colleagues, Mr. Anaya is recognized
worldwide as the Godfather of Chicana/o letters. Many
beautiful tributes and public celebrations of his life followed,
and now the University of New Mexico has approved a more
lasting tribute to Mr. Anaya: the creation of a dedicated space to
showcase the incredible body of work he left, not only for
UNM, but for our entire community.
The space, located inside Zimmerman Library, will be called The Rudolfo Anaya Sala and is located in one of the busiest areas of Zimmerman library, where students gather before convening for class, where the public mingles before and after lectures, and where the community can view Mr. Anaya’s
memorabilia and other special collections held by the library. Most importantly, The Rudolfo Anaya Sala sits near where the Rudolfo Anaya Papers rest.
The Department asks for your contribution to help outfit the area with display cases, new furniture, signage, a video wall and infrastructure and connectivity. To contribute and be one of our
inaugural donors, please visit https://www.unmfund.org/fund/rudolfo-anaya-sala-fund/. Our target goal is $40,000, and we are confident that your support will help build a lasting tribute that is appropriate to the
magnitude of New Mexico’s Chicana/o literary Godfather.
Mr. Anaya is one of New Mexico’s most important Chicano writers, recognized nationally and internationally for his first novel, Bless Me, Ultima (1972), and the author of sixteen additional novels,
including three for young adults; eleven children’s books; four edited anthologies; three books of poetry; a travelogue; a collection of plays; and numerous contributions to journals, magazines, and anthologies of
fiction, non-fiction, and essays on the Southwest. The countless books, articles, essays, and dissertations about Mr. Anaya’s work reflect his impact and inspiration to our local community and to the greater
literary world.
In addition to his published work, Mr. Anaya collaborated with Mary Rose Montalvo to establish and support the Rudolfo Anaya I Love to Read Summer Reading Program. The “Rudolfo Anaya I Love to Read Day” is now a NM State holiday, and it falls on Mr. Anaya’s birthday (October 30). President George W. Bush awarded Mr. Anaya the National Medal of the Arts in 2001, which is currently on display in Zimmerman Library, and President Barack Obama awarded him the National Humanities Medal in 2017. In 2005, Mr. Anaya donated the first part of his manuscript
collection to the Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections in Zimmerman Library, and he donated the remainder of his collection in 2019.
Please visit UNM Fund for more information and to donate today. If you have any additional questions, please contact the Director of Development for the UNM Foundation, Carol Kennedy at
carol.kennedy@unmfund.org.
Donate to Rudolfo Anaya Sala in Zimmerman Library
