The Monthly Liaison: September 2021 |
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September 15-October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month. You can celebrate it by reading a book! (Credit: Detail of Hispanic Heritage Select Photos, by David Valdez)
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Libros y Zapatos | Books and Shoes
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A decade ago, Don Quixote lured me to Mexico.
This is ironic, of course, because Don Quixote is a literary character from Spain (not Mexico) from more than four centuries ago. But a town in the middle of Mexico - Guanajuato - holds an annual festival honoring the Spanish writer of Don Quixote: Miguel de Cervantes. The International Cervantino Festival is an exuberant celebration of literature, theater, music, and dance.
I wanted to learn more about Mexico, and I was enticed by a community that anchored itself to literature and arts. Through a Fulbright fellowship, I was able to live and teach in Guanajuato for six months in 2010. . . and to find out how Don Quixote came to Guanajuato from across the Atlantic.
In the 1930s, during the Spanish Civil War, the Mexican president Lazaro Cárdenas welcomed Spanish intellectuals who were fleeing their war-torn country with only libros y zapatos, books and shoes. First Spain conquered Mexico, and then, a few hundred years later, many talented Spaniards fled to Mexico to escape the violence of their homeland. Many of these Spanish exiles played an important role in Mexico's education reforms.
One exile, Eulalio Ferrer Rodriguez, founded a Quixote museum in Guanajuato, and today the museum, a cornerstone of the Cervantino Festival, holds hundreds of paintings, murals, and statues of the lanky, dreamy literary figure of Don Quixote, and his short, round sidekick, Sancho.
I imagine that Cervantes's story provided a powerful connection to their homeland for Spanish refugees in Mexico. And the tale itself is one of romantic optimism confronting loss and disillusionment as Don Quixote seeks adventure - and faces deception by his fellow countrymen - in the land he loves, and thinks he knows, and explores with relentless hope.
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Jenny Emery Davidson, Ph.D.
Executive Director
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Tilting at Windmills
By Kyla Merwin
Communications Manager
Speaking of Don Quixote...
...let's don our tin-bowl helmets of invincibility, mount our trusty steeds, recruit a faithful sidekick, and tilt at some windmills!
To be quixotic (quix·ot·ic/kwikˈsädik/) is to be - by Webster's definition - exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical. But isn't that the very launch pad of great progress? And aren't we all hungry for that kind of hope and idealism now?
While our hero, Don Quixote, as created by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, fights imaginary enemies in the shape of windmills, he fully embodies the most worthy notions reflected in the themes of Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, which...
"... invites us to celebrate Hispanic Heritage and to reflect on how great our tomorrow can be if we hold onto our resilience and hope. It also encourages us to reflect on all the contributions Hispanics have made in the past and will continue to make in the future."
The Community Library celebrates Hispanic/Latinx heritage and offers over 600 titles in Spanish, including novels, poetry, non-fiction, children and young adult choices, music, and movies, as well as many free digital resources. Keep reading!
Historical Note: Don Quixote also holds the distinction of being one of the most-translated books in the world.
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Above: Pablo Picasso's sketch (1955) of Don Quixote and his sidekick, Sancho Panza, imagines the characters from the novel, The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha. Written by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote was originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, and is widely considered one of the greatest works ever written.
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Free Digital Services in Spanish |
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My name is Cándida Miniño, and I'm a librarian here at The Community Library. You can usually find me at the Main Service Desk, Monday-Friday. Please drop by to say Hello!
In our stacks, you will find a wide variety of Spanish language titles...and there are also great films, music and digital holdings in Spanish. For entertainment, inspiration, or education, we’re here to help Spanish speakers find what they're looking for!
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The Library also welcomes suggestions. Tell us what you'd like to see in Spanish language titles as well as titles by Hispanic/Latinx authors. Please feel welcome to ask for help at any of our service desks. If you need a Spanish speaker, I will be here for you. In my absence, someone will find another Spanish-speaking staff member to help. You can always reach out to me via email (cminino@comlib.org) , and we can set up a time to meet in person, to get you oriented in the use of the Library.
This is a place of many things, and in many languages, including Spanish! We hope to see you "in the stacks" soon.
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New Spanish-Speaking Telephone Line |
We've recently added a Spanish-language telephone option specifically for those who want to reach out to us in Spanish and those calls go to Cándida Miniño. And, of course, if you don’t have a library card yet, drop by...it’s free and everybody is welcome. We can help you get signed up and explain how borrowing and digital services work, in Spanish or English!
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Recommended Reading by Hispanic Authors |
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New Uploads!
The above titles are now available on our line of Spanish Nooks.
Ready for checkout now. The four lendable Spanish Nooks also have over 30 other titles by authors ranging from Arturo Perez-Reverte to Mario Vargas Llosa to Sonia Nazario.
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THANK YOU to Our August Donors! |
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Anonymous - 2
Janet Barsy
Anita Braker and David Olsen
Patricia and Jerry Britton
Ragna Caron
Mary and Michael Colhoun
Martine and Dan Drackett
Carla and John R. Garrison
Joseph R. Hardiman
J. McLaughlin
Jeanette and Charles A. Miller
Susan and Reuben Perin
Jane and Tom Pittman
Sharon and Walter Rapchinski
Duella Scott-Hull and Tom Hull
Shafran Family Foundation – Stephanie and Steve Shafran
The Rogers Foundation – Robyn Rogers
Christie and David Vik
R. B. Woolley, Jr.
Sam Young
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Page Turner Society
You can be a Page Turner by making a recurring gift to the Library! Contact Carter Hedberg if you are interested in making a sustaining gift.
Big Wood Landscape
Kathleen Diepenbrock and Kelley Weston
Claudia and John D. Gaeddert
Sarah Michael and Bob Jonas
Elaine and Michael Phillips
Narda Pitkethly
Gay Weake
Anita Weissberg
Tribute Gifts
Lynn and Dr. Bruce Kaplan - In Honor of Katherine and Walter Schlotfeldt
Lynn and Dr. Bruce Kaplan - In Memory of Juno
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