Book on History of Mexican Literature Designated as Outstanding Academic Title

February 9, 2018

Book on History of Mexican Literature Designated as Outstanding Academic Title

Image adapted from book cover.


A History of Mexican Literature (Cambridge University Press, 2016), co-edited by Dr. Anna Nogar alongside Dr. Ignacio M. Sánchez Prado and Dr. José Ramón Ruisánchez Serra, was recently honored by the American Library Association (ALA) as an Outstanding Academic Title. Nogar is an Associate Professor in the UNM Department of Spanish and Portuguese and faculty affiliate with the Latin American and Iberian Institute.

Each year the ALA's journal, Choice, publishes a list of Outstanding Academic Titles.This prestigious list reflects the best in scholarly titles reviewed by the journal and brings with it the extraordinary recognition within the academic library community. The designation acknowledges the works in question as having overall excellence in presentation and scholarship, importance relative to other literature in the field, distinction as a first treatment of a given subject, origanlity or uniqueness of treatment, value to undergraduate students, and importance in building undergraduate library collections. 

In addition to being designated an Outstanding Academic Title, A History of Mexican Literature also garnered recognition as one of the Top 75 Community College Titles for 2016. 

A History of Mexican Literature chronicles a story more than five hundred years in the making, looking at the development of literary culture in Mexico from its indigenous beginnings to the twenty-first century. Featuring a comprehensive introduction that charts the development of a complex canon, this History includes extensive essays that illuminate the cultural and political intricacies of Mexican literature. Organized thematically, these essays survey the multilayered verse and fiction of such diverse writers as Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Mariano Azuela, Xavier Villaurrutia, and Octavio Paz. Written by a host of leading scholars, this history also devotes special attention to the lasting significance of colonialism and multiculturalism in Mexican literature. This book is of pivotal importance to the development of Mexican writing and will serve as an invaluable reference for specialists and students alike.