 | |
| Editor | José E. Limón & María Cotera |
|---|---|
| Author | Jovita González Eve Raleigh |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Drama, novel, historical fiction, romance |
| Publisher | Texas A&M University Press |
Publication date | March 1, 1996 (1st edition) |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 350 (pbk. edition) |
| ISBN | 978-0-89096-700-3 |
| OCLC | 33333314 |
Caballero: A Historical Novel, often known only as Caballero, is a historical romance novel coauthored by Jovita González[1] and Margaret Eimer (under the pseudonym Eve Raleigh).[2] Written in the 1930s and early 1940s, but not published until 1996,[3] the novel is sometimes called Texas's Gone with the Wind.[4]
The book is set in the vicinity of Matamoros at the time of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, in which Mexico ceded its lands north of the Rio Grande to the United States. Its principal character is Don Santiago Mendoza y Soría, a landowner and descendant of the Spanish explorers who first colonized the region, and his family and servants, whose destinies are rewritten by the treaty, the occupation of the region by the American military, and the influx of English-speaking Americans.
Since its rediscovery and publication, Caballero has been branded an important Tejano achievement of national and international relevance[5] and has received much scholarly attention. It is also recognized as an important early piece of Mexican-American literature, in particular for its awareness of the ethnic, gender and class struggles that have characterized Texas history.[6]
- ^ Jovita González's full married name is Jovita González de Mireles, the "Mireles" referring to her husband, E.E. Mireles, also a schoolteacher. See Purdy.
- ^ See Purdy 142-143. Not much is known about González and Eimer's partnership, except that the two women likely met in Del Rio, Texas, in the year 1937, and that González was already developing the novel at that time. Some of their correspondence is preserved in the archives at the University of Texas at San Marcos.
- ^ See Kreneck ix.
- ^ See Purdy 144.
- ^ See González & Raleigh xi. These comments come from the Editors' Acknowledgement and are co-written by José E. Limón and María Cotera.
- ^ See Purdy 144.