American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 36 (2015) Winner
Manuel Luis Martinez
マヌエル・ルイス・マルティネス
Manuel Luis Martinez
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1966-06-26 （San Antonio, Texas, U.S.）
- Nationality
- American
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Residence History
- San Antonio, Texas (birthplace) → Columbus, Ohio (residence/teaching at Ohio State University)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Literary critic, Professor
- Active Years
- 1998-
- Affiliations
- Ohio State University (faculty)
- Memberships
- Texas Institute of Letters
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Mary's University (Texas) | Undergraduate | History and Literature | BA | 1984–1988 | United States |
| Ohio State University | Graduate School | Creative Writing | MA | 1988–1989 | United States |
| Stanford University | Graduate School | American Literature (PhD program) | PhD | 1991–1997 | United States |
St. Mary's University (Texas)
Undergraduate
/ History and Literature
Degree:
BA
Period:
1984–1988
Year of Graduation:
1988
Country:
United States
Ohio State University
Graduate School
/ Creative Writing
Degree:
MA
Period:
1988–1989
Year of Graduation:
1989
Country:
United States
Stanford University
Graduate School
/ American Literature (PhD program)
Degree:
PhD
Period:
1991–1997
Year of Graduation:
1997
Country:
United States
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | PEN American Center — Selected as one of ten best books by a writer of color | Crossing | — | PEN American Center | Selected |
| 2004 | American Library Association — Top 100 Books | Drift | — | American Library Association | Selected |
| 2015 | American Book Award | Los Duros | — | The Before Columbus Foundation | Winner |
| 2012 | Induction into the Texas Institute of Letters | — | — | Texas Institute of Letters | Inducted |
PEN American Center — Selected as one of ten best books by a writer of color
1999
Work:
Crossing
Organization:
PEN American Center
Result:
Selected
American Library Association — Top 100 Books
2004
Work:
Drift
Organization:
American Library Association
Result:
Selected
American Book Award
2015
Work:
Los Duros
Organization:
The Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
Winner
Induction into the Texas Institute of Letters
2012
Organization:
Texas Institute of Letters
Result:
Inducted
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Crossing
1998 FictionLuis Lomos, a sixteen-year-old boy from a small Mexican town, undertakes a journey to the United States. Trapped in a railroad car with other undocumented workers, he meets an older man, Berto Morales, who carries a terrible secret. The journey becomes deadly as the men suffocate; the tale is based on a true event.
migrationmobilitydislocationdeath and redemption
Drift
2003 FictionRobert Lomos, a troubled young man, runs away from his grandmother's care in San Antonio to find his estranged mother in Los Angeles. He intends to prove he can assume responsibility for his mother and infant brother. The novel explores coming-of-age and family relationships.
familycoming-of-ageresponsibilitymovement
Day of the Dead
2010 Historical fictionA prequel to Crossing. Berto Morales narrates the year he spends searching for his wife's murderer during the Mexican Revolution. The novel begins on the Day of the Dead in 1912 and ends on the same date in 1913, following themes of revenge, redemption, and violence during revolutionary unrest.
revengeredemptionrevolutionviolence and protection
Los Duros
2014 FictionTwo young men living in a California shantytown confront the aftermath of a double murder. The novel examines community violence, the harsh realities facing youth, and survival.
violencecommunityyouthsurvival
Countering the Counterculture: Rereading Postwar American Dissent from Jack Kerouac to Tomas Rivera
2003 Literary criticismMartinez rereads postwar American counterculture, emphasizing themes of movement and 'forced movement' to analyze dissent in Mexican and Chicano migrant writers. He critiques certain Beat writers for overlooking the political limits of individualism and thereby undermining their social criticism.
counterculture criticismmobilityChicano studies
Bibliography
- Crossing (1998)
- Drift (2003)
- Countering the Counterculture (2003)
- Day of the Dead (2010)
- Los Duros (2014)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Realist, detailed depictionCritical perspective emphasizing social and political contextFocus on characters' psychology and movement
- Recurring Motifs
- migration and movementdislocation and identityviolence and redemptionurban life
Legacy
Manuel Luis Martinez is known for fiction and criticism that center Mexican American experience, migration, and dislocation. He has been recognized both academically and literarily, winning the American Book Award for Los Duros and being inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters.
Academic Societies
- Texas Institute of Letters
Trivia
- Maintains an official website (manuelmartinez.info).
- Teaches American literature, Chicano studies, and creative writing at Ohio State University.
- Won the American Book Award in 2015 for Los Duros.