The anthology compiled by Luis Molina Lora and Julio Torres-Recinos, Retrato de Una Nube: Primera Antología del Cuento Hispano Canadiense (“Portrait of a Cloud: First Anthology of Hispanic-Canadian Short Stories”), continues a tradition begun in Canada in the 1970s by the publishing house Cordillera, whose purpose was to publish the work of Chilean exiles in this country. Several of Cordillera’s founders – such as Jorge Etcheverry to name but one – reappear in this volume, demonstrating the continuity of artistic creation in the Spanish language in Canada. In the introduction to the anthology, Julio Torres-Recinos outlines the milestones of the long journey of Hispanic-Canadian literature, to then bring together, in his role as anthologist along with Luis Molina-Lora, the work of 22 authors from different generations and diverse countries of origin who in their stories narrate their experiences outside their native lands, although many bear the hallmarks of memories and happenings that took place prior to their settling in Canada.

The styles are diverse, and the focus taken in the stories does not follow a single method, but rather, as a reflection of the variety of the work itself, can be attributed to personal literary approaches that draw on different traditions, ranging from the narrative of socio-political protest without greater formal pretensions, to tales in which experimentation with language leads to the use of resources such as the inclusion of voices in "Spanglish”, acknowledging the reality of the Hispanic in the Canadian context.

The spectrum of themes is wide indeed, including friction between couples, and the trauma left from experiences of political and social conflict in the country of origin, but also nostalgia for the land left behind and the initial difficulties faced by immigrants in adapting to their new country. In this sense, there are several stories in which the generation gap reveals how understanding the language and cultural dynamics of the adopted country widen distances even more between characters in the stories, who act as paradigms for the different generations of Hispanic immigrants who have settled in Canada.

To analyze any specific authors here would be to discriminate against others and undermine what this publication seeks to do, which, at least as I understand it, is to bear witness to the work produced by writers in the course of their lives. The aforementioned presence of diverse generations of both female and male authors is already enriching the curricula of Hispanic studies programs in Canadian universities, which in turn constitutes an endorsement of the literary aesthetic quality of the stories compiled here and their recognition by the Academy. What makes this anthology different is the inclusion of new authors who, writing from a more contemporary perspective, leave aside the ideological confrontations that marked the arrival of the first Hispanic-Canadian authors.

Let‘s hope that this volume represents the beginning of a series of texts and studies of Hispanic-Canadian literature that will enrich the multicultural literary panorama of our country. Without a doubt, the translation of this anthology into Canada’s national languages would serve to accord this rich and varied literature the place that it deserves.

Fernando de Diego Pérez

Translated by Martin Boyd

Fernando de Diego Pérez is associate professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at the University of Ottawa.