Here Lies Lalo: The Collected Poems of Abelardo Delgado

Known as the the grandfather of Chicano literature from his 2004 obituary in The New York Times, Delgado used his words to fight for justice and equal opportunity for people of Mexican descent living in the United States. Delgado’s development as a poet and writer coincided with the Chicano Civil Rights movement, and so his poems reflect the suffering of the oppressed and are a call to action. Available for the first time to mainstream audiences, Delgado’s poems included in this landmark volume were written between 1969 and 2001, and are in Spanish, English, and a combination of both languages. Many of his poems protest mistreatment and discrimination; many others focus on love of family and land and traditions of his people. Delgado wrote and self-published 14 books of poetry none of which are available today and five of them are included in this volume. His poems are a must-read for anyone interested in the Chicano Civil Rights movement and the origins of Chicano literature.