Jalamanta: A Message from the Desert

by Rudolfo Anaya

Rudolfo Anaya returns to the deeply spiritual themes of his hugely popular "Bless Me, Ultima" with this insightful tale of a prophet and his message to save humankind from itself.

Genres: Fiction, Spirituality

208 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1996

About the author

Rudolfo Anaya lives and breathes the landscape of the Southwest. It is a powerful force, full of magic and myth, integral to his writings. Anaya, however, is a native Hispanic fascinated by cultural crossings unique to the Southwest, a combination of oldSpain and New Spain, of Mexico with Mesoamerica and the anglicizing forces of the twentieth century. Rudolfo Anaya is widely acclaimed as the founder of modern Chicano literature. According to the New York Times, he is the most widely read author in Hispanic communities, and sales of his classic Bless Me, Ultima (1972) have surpassed 360,000, despite the fact that none of his books have been published originally by New York publishing houses. His works are standard texts in Chicano studies and literature courses around the world, and he has done more than perhaps any other single person to promote publication of books by Hispanic authors in this country. With the publication of his novel, Albuquerque (1992),Newsweek has proclaimed him a front-runner in "what is better called not the new multicultural writing, but the new American writing." His most recent volume, published in 1995, is Zia Summer.

"I've always used the technique of the cuento. I am an oral storyteller, but now I do it on the printed page. I think if we were very wise we would use that same tradition in video cassettes, in movies, and on radio."

from
http://www.unm.edu/~wrtgsw/anaya.html
and
http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_reso...

Reviews

[WhiteOwl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very lovely and inspiring! A young man who speaks his mind about Love, Light and the Soul is exiled to the desert for 30 years. When he returns his Beloved has waited for him and he once again speaks his Truth. This time, however in more depth because of what he learned from the Prophets in the desert. This alarms and angers the “Authorities” and in the end there in betrayal. I would have given this 5 stars except, in my opinion, the ending needed several more pages to maximize its message.

[Gary Reger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The protagonist of Jalamanta, Amado, has returned to his home after a 30-year exile in the desert, where he was dispatched by the authorities for promoting heresy. Now, reinforced by his exile, he has taken to preaching a gospel of love in which he proclaims that we can all become God. It is light that illumines us and works the transformation. The authorities are no less amenable to his views now than 30 years before, and, in the end, he is arrested and will certainly be condemned to death.

The majority of the book is devoted to Jalamanta's talks with a crowd that gathers around him to hear his wisdom. Some are convinced, others are skeptical, and he faces the jealousy of Iago, once a friend, who fell in love with Fatimah, the woman Jalamanta loves and who loves him. In the end he betrays Jalamanta, in an act reminiscent of Judas's betrayal of Jesus.

The theology that Jalamanta espouses reminds me with much of Manicheaism. That religion, named after its founder, asserted that we all contain particles of light which yearn to be reunited with the light of the universe--very much Jalamanta's ideas. (I have no idea whether Anaya conscious adopted Manichaean principles for the book.)

Jalamanta's speeches can become rather tedious--they are preachy, and don't do anything to advance the plot; rather, they are instruments for Anaya to expound a generous, loving view of the way he'd like us to live. Once appealing aspect, and very different from Manichaeism, is the embrace of physical love as a positive good. In that respect Jalamanta represents a refreshing view of human nature--though he also insists that such love must be linked to the communion of souls. (Not a bad thing!)

I suspect plenty of readers will tire of the long passages in which Jalamanta explains his theology. I had to put the book aside after reading about half precisely because I got tired of them myself. (They can be repetitious, too.) But it's an interesting departure from much of Anaya's work and worth the time--it's quite short--for its insight into his hopes and dreams for a better world, even if, in the end, the forces of oppression, authority, autocracy, and cruelty win out (perhaps an unintentional message about what we face now in America).

[Peter Heisler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is exquisite in its imagery and deeply felt, representing its own unity of the expanding mind and the flying soul. It's not a replacement for a spiritual guide, but its message is an invitation to a journey or path, like the one Jalamanta gives to the people.

The format of treating different topics in each chapter, with each one linked to the one before and after, works well. I liked the dialogue and repetition of concepts, which made them more accessible and memorable. Some of the political commentary seemed a little on-the-nose--but it is a parable, and these timely themes can't be expressed too directly.

Jalamanta's teachings, especially as they relate to other religions and philosophies, are fascinating. Rejection of deferred union with a divine spirit until after death, and the acceptance of the mind and thought as part of the path to clarity (not distractions) resonated with me. The indestructibility of the soul and metaphor of the sun also struck me as similar to some Buddhist teachings. The notion of science misused, to deny the existence of the soul and the possibility of self-authorship or creativity, I found topical and convincing.

Connections to Bless Me Ultima were another welcome aspect of this tale. Learning more about the theory of spirit guides and a visit from the Golden Carp illuminated some elements of the plot and characters and brought back fond memories of the novel's world. It wouldn't have worked as well to explain some concepts in that coming-of-age story, so it was nice that Anaya had the opportunity to use this more direct format to give the reader more insight.

[Rick Rapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only problem with this book for me is that I so loved Anaya's "Bless Me, Ultima" and anything else I've read by him just doesn't compare. This too has elements of spirituality and communing with Nature to find peace and salvation, but it just falls short. His writing is still poetic and there are beautiful moments. For that, I would still recommend it.

[Cierra Bluu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has such a sweet-tender story about earth, soul & the spirit and how they all intertwine within every human being. We are all on a journey to find peace and love, but there are many obstacles along the way.

[R. Walraven]

If only...

Our world is in disarray. If only we could all look inside ourselves to realize acceptance and love is the answer. This book reminds us of why our world is in conflict. If only...

[Kezia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have no interest in new age pablum. A bonus star for the thinnest thread of a plot.

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this at a thrift store, so picked it up, since I loved "Bless Me, Ultima". Upon delving into he book, I could see some parallels to Hermann Hesse's Siddartha, one of my all-time favorites. However, it just started to ramble on in a spiritual self-help fashion, like Anaya had been saved and was now on his soap-box. The setting and characters were interesting and the whole book had an etheric vibe, which kept me interested. It was bit more of a meditation, than a novel. That being said it is also a very short and easy read, so I would still recommend it, despite my criticisms.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Transformative. This book was written simply, elegantly, with a powerful message about perserverance and life and appreciating what makes it worth living.

[Carlos Cumpian · Rating 5 out of 5]

He gave me a copy, one of the most generous writers/human beings. Which in turn I bought three copies as gifts.

[Netanel Miles-Yepez · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Mexican answer to The Prophet of Kalil Gibran, at least in the same genre.

[Rem · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book. I felt that it was a bunch of New age-like mumbo jumbo.

[Gsandoval2 sandoval · Rating 2 out of 5]

A strange jeorney.

[S.L. Hawke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing ending but lyrically written.