Manuel Ramos (
Mrriter@aol.com) posted on the UK wrapup and i noticed
his site, www.manuelramos.com , so i checked it out.
Anyway, I read the essay, The Postman and The Mex, and it was
an interesting examination of Chicano themes in both Chicano
and non-Chicano works.
The comment about both the authors and the characters car-
rying the weight of their Mexican heritage on their shoul-
ders was an interesting one. I am nearing the end of
Himes's
_Cotton Comes To Harlem_, and I see a parallel situation in
it.
Its a delicate situation, isn't it? There's got to be a
balancing act between the one extreme of ignoring the issue
and the other of standing on the pulpit preaching
culture.
Manuel mentions several hardboiled authors with Chicano
characters, such as Ellroy, Crumley, and Thompson, and adds
that there are many more. One that comes to my mind is John
D. MacDonald.
Manuel discusses the scene in Cain's _The Postman Always
Rings Twice_ where Cora denies being a Mexican, and won- ders
if maybe Cora is displaying some prejudice here. I would
think that without a doubt this is the case.
Apologies for speaking about you in the third person, Manuel.
It just made things easier. Great essay. I'm looking forward
to reading some of your books. This might seem like a shallow
thing to say, considering that the writing is what's
important, but the covers are beautiful.
thanks, miker
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