Arturo Islas

File:Arturo Islas-1.jpg

Arturo Islas

Arturo Islas, Jr.
Born	(1938-05-24)May 24, 1938 El Paso, Texas
Died	February 15, 1991(1991-02-15) (aged 52) Stanford University Campus Home
Occupation	Novelist
Nationality	Mexican American
Genre	Chicano Literature
Literary movement	Chicano
Notable works	The Rain God Migrant Souls
Notable awards	Border Regional Library Association's Southwest Book Award

Arturo Islas, Jr. (May 25, 1938 – February 15, 1991), a native of El Paso, Texas, was a professor of English and a novelist, writing about the experience of Chicano cultural duality.

He received three degrees from Stanford: a B.A. in 1960, a Masters in 1963 and a Ph.D. in 1971, when he joined the Stanford faculty. Islas was one of the first Chicanos in the United States to earn a Ph.D. in English. In 1976, he became the first Chicano faculty member to receive tenure at Stanford.

Islas died on February 15, 1991 from complications related to AIDS.

Works

• The Rain God (winner of the Border Regional Library Association's Southwest Book Award)
• Migrant Souls
• La Mollie and the King of Tears

Early Life and Education

In the wake of the Mexican Revolution, Arturo Islas's father and paternal grandparents crossed the United States-Mexico border to live in El Paso, Texas in 1910.

Later Life and Career

After completing his Ph.D in 1971, Arturo immediately joined the faculty of Stanford University. He was the Chair of the Faculty Recruitment Committee, advisor to Chicano undergraduates and fellows, and Co-Director for the Stanford Center for Chicano Research. He became a beloved professor, teaching classes focusing on the English language and minority groups. He received the Dinkelspiel Award for Undergraduate Teaching Excellence for the first time in 1976. In the same year, he became Stanford’s first tenured Chicano professor.

While a professor at Stanford, Arturo published two novels: The Rain God (1984) and Migrant Souls (1990) before his untimely death on February 15, 1991 at the age of 53 due to complications related to AIDS.

See also

• List of Mexican American writers

References

• Profile
• Dekker, George, Larry Friedlander, Diane Middlebrook and Nancy Packer. Memorial Resolution: Arturo Islas. Historical Society of Stanford University. 1991.

External links

• Arturo Islas Papers, 1956-1991(call number M0618; 20.5 linear ft.) are housed in the Department of Special Collections and University Archives at Stanford University Libraries