Latino literature anthologies: In search of a Latino canon

Abstract

Anthologies are fundamental in the formation of literary canons. In order to explore the process of Latino literary canon formation, first, I analyze the nature of anthologies and their role as discourses that contribute to the construction of latinidad. I then present a brief overview of the historical, academic and publishing context that enabled the publication of the anthologies surveyed. A comparative study of six Latino literature anthologies, published between 1997 and 2010, focusing on an analysis of the authors included in these collections, allows us to scrutinize who, according to the editors, the core writers of the Latino literary canon are. The few coincidences among them seem to indicate that there is still no strong consensus about which authors and texts are part of the Latino literary canon.