The Last Supper of Chicano Heroes: Selected Works of José Antonio Burciaga
José Antonio Burciaga, edited by Mimi R. Gladstein and Daniel Chacón
2008, University of Arizona Press
256 pages
THE winner of a Southwest Book Award , this collection brings together dozens of remarkable examples of the work of José Antonio Burciaga, widely considered one of the most important voices in the Chicano literary canon who exposed inequities and cultural difficulties through humour, art and deceptively simple prose. Best known for his books Weedee Peepo, Drink Cultura, and Undocumented Love, Burciaga was also a poet, cartoonist, founding member of the comedy troupe Cultura Clash, and a talented muralist whose well-known work “The Last Supper of Chicano Heroes” became as famous than the man. Mimi Gladstein and Daniel Chacón demonstrate through their selection – the first collection of Burciaga’s work – this writer’s importance to Chicano letters and how he eschewed machismo or sexism to champion the belief that all Chicano voices are equal. – GJ
