This early draft manuscript, which was originally titled The Roots of Sadness, is divided into two parts because of the length of the document. This part (Part 1) includes pages 1-99 of the draft, while part 2 includes pages 100-213. The draft is a typescript with fairly extensive handwritten edits and corrections by the author.
This is the second half of a carbon typescript of Bless Me, Ultima. The draft, which Anaya was working on in 1978, contains minor handwritten edits. Because this is a copy, the readability of the manuscript varies greatly, with many faint or faded pages in which the print is barely legible.
This work is a carbon copy of a mature draft of Bless Me, Ultima. It does include some light hand corrections and edits by the author. The draft was completed during April and May of 1970.
This is Anaya's third novel, in which he utilizes his own childhood experience of being temporarily crippled in a swimming accident to create a semi-ficitonal story. The novel examines the concept of healing not merely as a physical recovery, but as a spiritual process of finding one's roots, inner strength, and community belonging.
Bless Me, Ultima is Rudolfo Anaya's first novel, written around 1970 and published in 1972. It is the semiautobiographical story of a young boy’s coming-of-age within a cultural tapestry that includes Spanish, Mexican, and Native American influences.
This is the first draft of Bless Me, Ultima. The this early draft manuscript is typed and includes handwritten edits by the author. There is also a hand drawn map illustration on page 92 of the draft, and it appears the typewriter ribbon was changed in the middle of typing page 181.