SANDRA CISNEROS BIOGRAPHY

My mother says when I grow older my dusty hair will settle and my blouse will learn to stay clean, but I have decided not to grow up tame like the who lay their necks on the threshold waiting for the ball and chain.

In the movies there is always one with red red lips who is beautiful and cruel. She is the one who drives men crazy and laughs them all the way. Her power is her own. She will not give it away.

-Sandra Cisneros -The House On Mango Street

Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago in 1954, and was the only daughter out of a family of seven children. She was born to a Mexican father and a Chicano mother who frequently moved the family between Mexico and Chicago throughout Sandra’s childhood. Being the only girl growing up in a family of boys and constantly moving around, Sandra found it difficult to establish any true friendships with anyone.

Cisneros buried herself in her books and writing. She found herself mimicking the lives of the people she read about and stole their thoughts for her own. She began imitating her favorite author’s style of writing until she found her own voice at the University of Iowa in the late 1970’s while working on her master’s degree. There she found the voice of a Mexican-American, working-class woman with an independent sexuality.

Recognizing the differences between herself and her peers at the University, led to the writing of “The House on Mango Street”, which was published in 1984 and has won several awards. Returning to Chicago after graduate school, Cisneros worked closely with the Chicano community . Sandra won several fellowships and lectureships between California and Texas.

Sandra Cisneros currently resides in San Antonio and lectures to students at a local arts center. Sandra continually returns to her community and teaches the connection between politics, art, and everyday life.

Noted Works by Sandra Cisneros

The House on Mango Street: This best-selling novel is about a young girl growing up in a Latino section in Chicago. The main character, Esperanza comes into her power and invents what she will become instead of letting the world determine her future.

Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories: This is the second book of short stories written by our author, Sandra Cisneros. This book is about numerous Mexican American characters living near San Antonia, Texas. These Mexican Americans have been assimilated into American culture and yet still feel a divided loyalty to Mexico. Some of the stories are about young girls around the age of eleven growing up in Mexican villages or barrios (a Spanish-speaking quarter in a city or town in the U.S.). Some of the stories are about adolescent girls experiencing the circumstances of their lives. The rest of the stories are about more mature women discussing family and cultural pressures.

Caramelo - Caramelo was chosen as notable book of the year by the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the San Fracisco Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune, and the Seattle Times. The book was awarded the 2005 Premio Napoli and nominated for several other prestigious literary awards. The main character of this story is the youngest of seven children, the only girl, and her father’s favorite. This young girl leads a life of resentment from her mother and grandmother, who both vie for her father’s love and attention.Throughout the book, Celaya narrates stories she has heard from her father or other members of her family, and with each story she understands a little more about herself and her life.

Loose Woman - A seductive, earthy collection of poetry that celebrates the female aspects of love. According to one review, this collection has a multiplicity of moods tumbling through its lines - joyous and introspective, tender and ruthless, self-mocking and sincere, often funny and sometimes wild and rude. This book offers intoxicating poems of extraordinary insight and vivid imagination.

Critical Reception of Sandra Cisneros' Works

Sandra Cisneros' first novel, House on Mango Street, was gradually acknowledged and praised by critics after its release in 1983. Critics agreed that this book well defined the complex social role of Latina women in America. Her style is hailed for its simplicity and broad accessibility, characterized through using few words to paint vivid images or feelings. Woman Hollering Creek received positive as well as slightly negative reviews. Some critics did not appreciate her simplicity and the thematic similarity this book bore to House on Mango Street although the characters had matured with the author. Another critical concern was that her frequent portrayal of violence against women might cast Latino men in a negative light. The positive side addresses the importance and effectiveness with which Sandra Cisneros gives a much needed voice to Latina women. Her recent and lengthy novel Caramelo has received successful reviews for embodying the same elements as her previous works and by bridging the gap between popular fiction and literature. Cisneros' many collections of poetry have qualified her as a master of form, yet they receive comparatively less attention than the previously mentioned books.

Cisneros' Writing Style: In Her Own Words

Sandra Cisneros' writing style is often characterized as unique when compared to standard classical literature. Her experience growing up as a poor Latina in Chicago gives her writing a unique perspective and voice. Cisneros says she became a writer because she was "determined to fill a literary void, trying to write the stories that haven't been written."

In addition, her stories are compact and lyrical, which give her words a tone of familiarity, and an oral quality. While reading her work, I often feel like I am being told a story by my aunt or a close girlfriend. Regarding her writing, she says, she "found a way to write stories which could be read at any random point without having any knowledge of what came before or after. Or that could be read in a series to tell one big story."

Another unique aspect of her writing is her use of deceptively simple language. While succinct, the small details in her stories carry important meanings. Her words offer penetrating insights into concepts such as, feminism, cultural imperialism, as well as life in general.