Rolando Hinojosa (Rolando Hinojosa-Smith) Biography

Chicano short-story writer, novelist, and poet, born in Mercedes, Texas, educated at the University of Texas, Highlands University, and the University of Illinois, Urbana. A master of humour, irony, and subtlety, Hinojosa weaves the tales of his characters with the history of his fictional Rio Grande Valley town, Klail City. The first of the Klail City death trip series, Estampas del valle y otras obras (1973), is composed of estampas/sketches and focuses on the shared traditions, language, and history of the Chicano community. The second novel in the series, Klail City y sus alredores (1976), introduced new characters to the cultural geography of Klail City, which by now was being compared to William Faulkner's fictional Yoknapatawpha County. Further novels in the series include The Useless Servants (1993), which uses Hinojosa's collage technique to depict Chicano life and the way it copes with the separate Anglo world. His first collection of poems, Korean Love Songs from Klail City Death Trip (1980), was based on earlier experiences while serving in Korea. Hinojosa continues to focus on the urban experience and socio-economic condition of Chicanos with Mi Querido Rafa (1981), Rites and Witnesses (1982), Partners in Crime: A Rafe Buenrostro Mystery (1985), Claros Varones de Belken (1986), and Becky and Her Friends (1988). Hinojosa was appointed Professor of English at the University of Texas, Austin. See Latino/Latina Literature in English.