Arturo Islas
| Arturo Islas, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 24, 1938 El Paso, Texas |
| Died | February 15, 1991 (aged 52) Stanford University Campus Home |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | Mexican American |
| Genre | Chicano Literature |
| Literary movement | Chicano |
| Notable works | Migrant Souls |
| Notable awards | Border Regional Library Association's Southwest Book Award |
Arturo Islas, Jr. (May 25, 1938 – February 15, 1991), a native of El Paso, Texas, was a professor of English and a novelist, writing about the experience of Chicano cultural duality.
He received three degrees from Stanford: a B.A. in 1960, a Masters in 1963 and a Ph.D. in 1971, when he joined the Stanford faculty. Islas was one of the first Chicanos in the United States to earn a Ph.D. in English. In 1976, he became the first Chicano faculty member to receive tenure at Stanford.
Islas died on February 15, 1991 from complications related to AIDS.
Fleeing the Mexican Revolution, Arturo Islas’ father and paternal grandparents crossed the United-States-Mexico border to live in El Paso, Texas in 1910. Islas’ grandmother, Crecenciana, was a teacher who devoted much of her time to disciplining and educating her children, ensuring that each of them learned how to read, write and speak fluent English. Largely thanks to this education, Islas’ father, Arturo Islas Sr., became a respected police officer in a largely white police force, and in turn, Arturo Islas Jr. and his cousins all developed a respect for learning and went to college to pursue advanced degrees in their fields.
Despite a life-threatening childhood bout with polio that left him with a permanent limp, Islas rarely, if ever, struggled to keep up with the other kids in school. In 1956, Islas graduated as valedictorian of his class from El Paso Public High School. In the fall of that same year, he began his undergraduate career at Stanford University. At first, Islas intended to be a premed student so he could eventually become a neurosurgeon. However, after his first biology and chemistry classes resulted in B’s, Islas began to question his decision to become a doctor. It wasn’t long before Islas decided to study humanities instead, where he was getting A’s and particularly excelling in his coursework. Islas ultimately became an English major, and sources differ, but he may have minored in either French Literature or religious studies. Islas was honored repeatedly for his success in his study of literature, earning enough esteem to be elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and receiving several awards for creative writing. Islas flourished in the program and went on to earn both a master’s and a Ph. D. in English from Stanford.
After completing his P.h. D in 1971, Arturo immediately joined the faculty of Stanford University in the English department. He was the Chair of the Faculty Recruitment Committee, advisor to Chicano undergraduates and fellows, and Co-Director for the Stanford Center for Chicano Research. He became a beloved professor, teaching classes focusing on the English language and minority groups, and received the Dinkelspiel Award for Undergraduate Teaching Excellence in 1976. In the same year, he was promoted to associate professor, thereby becoming Stanford’s first tenured Chicano professor. In 1977, Islas took a sabbatical to finish writing Dia de los Muertos, the novel that would be published as The Rain God in 1984. In 1986, Islas became a full professor at Stanford University and began to write La Mollie and the King of Tears which was published in 1990. Arturo died on February 15, 1991 due to complications related to AIDS.
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