“ A woman who no one came for and no one chased away” A look into the world of Sandra Cisneros

 Sandra Cisneros was born on December 20, 1954 in Chicago to Mexican-American parents  She is the first Hispanic-American writer to achieve commercial success  Cisneros is credited with bringing the Chicana (Mexican-American) female perspective into the mainstream

Her Education  Cisneros attended Loyola University and later earned a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa  She found inspiration in Emily Dickinson, her favorite American poet, who was confined to her house, just as Cisneros felt confined to Chicago  Many years later, she realized that part of Dickinson’s success resulted from her education, a house of her own, and money.

Her Childhood  Even though she had 6 brothers, Cisneros remembers her childhood as solitary, which proved important  Her family visited her grandparents in Mexico City often, making it difficult for Cisneros to make friends and succeed in school, and she often turned to literature for solace  Her family adopted a very traditional perspective and wanted Cisneros to become a “typical” woman and was disappointed when she left home before any of her brothers

About her Writings  Because of her unique childhood, Cisneros focuses her writing on that Latina perspective, incorporating not only her own experiences but the experiences of those around her  Many of her works are a medley of fiction and poetry  "If I were asked what it is I write about, I would have to say I write about those ghosts inside that haunt me, that will not let me sleep, of that which even memory does not like to mention."

The House on Mango Street  The novel is told through the eyes of Esperanza- a poor, Latina adolescent who longs for a room of her own and a house of which she can be proud  Esperanza experiences “that slippery age when you are both child and woman and neither”—a shy girl who couldn’t come out of her shell  The story takes place in Chicago and describes the feeling of being isolated, poor, trapped, and stereotyped  HOMS was Cisneros’ first novel and received widespread critical acclaim

Other Works Caramelo (2002) Loose Woman: Poems (1994) Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories (1991) My Wicked Wicked Ways (1987)

From the Author  “I like to think that somehow my family, my Mexicanness, my poverty all had something to do with shaping me into a writer”  “I’ve traveled [all over the world and] along the way there is straw for the taking. With a little imagination it can be spun into gold”