Mario Suárez
Mario Suárez was a notable Mexican-American writer born in Tucson, Arizona, on January 12, 1925, and is often viewed as either a transitional figure or the first Chicano fiction writer. His literary work primarily focused on life within a Mexican-American neighborhood, particularly the barrio of El Hoyo, where he depicted the complexities and vibrancy of community life through a series of short stories. Influenced by literary greats such as Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck, Suárez aimed to portray Chicano experiences with authenticity and empathy. After serving in the U.S. Navy and completing his education at the University of Arizona, he contributed to local publications and taught English and Spanish at various educational institutions in California.
His stories, published in Arizona Quarterly and later compiled in "Chicano Sketches: Short Stories," are characterized by a rich tapestry of characters and themes, including humor, pathos, and nostalgia for cultural changes. Critics have noted his profound ability to capture the urban acculturation of Mexican Americans during the 1930s and 1940s, making significant contributions to the understanding of this community's experiences. Suárez's legacy as a writer continued until his death in 1998, leaving behind a body of work that resonates with the complexities of identity and community.
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Mario Suárez
Author
- Born: January 12, 1925
- Birthplace: Tucson, Arizona
- Died: February 27, 1998
- Place of death: San Dimas, California
Biography
Regarded by some as a transition figure and by others as the first Chicano fiction writer, Mario Suárez wrote a much-praised series of stories depicting life in a Mexican-American barrio. He was born in Tucson, Arizona, on January 12, 1925. Encouraged by his father, a tailor, Suárez developed an early interest in reading. He graduated from Tucson High School in 1942 and joined the U.S. Navy. Following his discharged in 1946, he entered the University of Arizona. In 1947 he moved to New York City in hopes of becoming a full-time writer but returned to Arizona in 1948 and resumed his university studies, graduating with a bachelor’ degree in liberal arts in 1952. He worked for a finance company, married, and continuing writing, working as a volunteer for P-M, a weekly devoted to Tucson’s Mexican-American community. In 1958, he moved to Los Angeles and from 1962 to 1964 took education courses at California State University, Fullerton. He became an English instructor in East Los Angeles and then at Claremont College before joining the faculty at California State Polytechnic University at Pomona, where he taught remedial English, Spanish, history, and folklore. Suárez died in 1998.
While an undergraduate, Suárez was much influenced by the works of Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck, especially the latter’s Tortilla Flat. He decided that he too could write sympathetically and realistically about Chicanos, whom he grew up with. The result was eight stories about the Tucson barrio El Hoyo (the pit), published by Arizona Quarterly from 1947 to 1950. The quarterly later published two more, and a collection of these stories, as well as some previously unpublished pieces, appear in Chicano Sketches: Short Stories. The original stories, taken together, create a fictionalized but realistic portrait of a community that is diverse, self-regulating, and vital. As critic J. Allan Englekirk points out, El Hoyo’s residents “possess few common traits other than that they are all people of Mexican heritage.” With much humor and pathos, the initial story “El Hoyo” describes life, both in the best and worst of characters, and their solidarity in the face of trouble. Other stories focus on specific characters: for instance, the philosopher-barber Señor Garza who counsels the disgruntled and entertains the gossips of the community, a bus driver, a zoot- suiter, and a music-loving panhandler. Above all Suárez liked to writer about El Hoyo’s “maestros,” the men who stand out for their skills and level-headed presence. Also through the stories runs a plaintive note of nostalgia for the changes that are refashioning El Hoyo, such as the loss of pure Spanish. Many critics agree with Raymund A. Paredes, who wrote, “In only a handful of stories, Suárez chronicled the urban acculturation of Mexican Americans in the 1930’s and 1940’s more perceptively and authentically than anyone, including John Steinbeck.”
Suárez received a John Hay Whitney Foundation fellowship in 1957 to support him while working on writing projects.