Sabine Reyes Ulibarrí (September 21, 1919 – January 4, 2003) was an American poet. He was also a teacher, a writer, a critic, and a statesman. Ulibarrí was born in Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico. Sabine Ulibarrí served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

with the U.S. Army Air Forces. He was decorated for his valor during the war with two medals, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

. After the war he continued his studies at the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

where he received his

Master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in Spanish. After teaching for a few years at UNM he enrolled in the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...

where he worked on his doctorate in Spanish literature. After receiving his doctorate in 1958 from UCLA he returned to the University of New Mexico and taught Spanish and Spanish-American literature until he retired in 1982. Sabine Ulibarri is known widely for his use of language when crafting his stories, and the use of details of rural New Mexican Spanish and Native American life. His stories are considered some of the earliest roots in modern Hispano Literature taking shape both in Spanish and English. His books, Mi Abuela Fumaba Puros (My Grandmother Smoked Cigars)' and ' Mi Caballo Mago (My Wonder Horse)' and ' Tierra Amarilla: and other stories' are considered by many native New Mexican writers as quintessential examples of modern Hispanic literature and have inspired countless young Hispanics to become writers and educators. Some argue that Sabine Ulibarri—alongside

Rudolfo Anaya Rudolfo Anaya (October 30, 1937June 28, 2020) was an American author. Noted for his 1972 novel ''Bless Me, Ultima'', Anaya was considered one of the founders of the canon of contemporary Chicano literature. The themes and cultural references of ...

– was one of the great thinkers of modern

Hispanic literature Spanish-language literature or Hispanic literature is the sum of the literary works written in the Spanish language across the Hispanic world. The principal elements are the Spanish literature of Spain, and Latin American literature. There is a ...

who was grounded in what would be termed the 'old ways.' He was able to recollect for younger Hispanos a sense of place and enlighten them with stories of the difficulties of living in Tierra Amarilla, a town which became famous during the Tierra Amarilla Court House raid. It is not known if any of Ulibarri's family or friends were involved in such contentious moments in New Mexican history. Sabine Ulibarri could be credited with highlighting the struggle of traditional values versus modern American law and policies such as ' manifest destiny' and how these concepts began eroding more than 500 years of agricultural and spiritual-based traditional lifestyles of northern New Mexico. He framed the conflict eloquently in his prose without ever digressing into political dissertation. The University of New Mexico named the Sabine Ulibarrí Spanish as a Heritage Language (SUSHL) Program for him. María Dolores Gonzales, a colleague of Ulibarrí's in the Spanish department at UNM, ran the program for 12 years and expanded it.

Bibliography

Maura, Juan Francisco. "Gaspar Pérez de Villagrá y Sabine Ulibarri: Pasado y presente de la épica de Nuevo México". Espéculo. Revista de estudios literarios. 20 (2002): 1–10. Universidad Complutense de Madrid

References

External links

A Mi Raza: The Writings of Sabine Ulibarri
video from NM PBS, Colores
COLORES , A Mi Raza: The Writings Of Sabine Ulibarri , New Mexico PBS
@YouTube
Search unm.edu for Sabine Ulibarri
@University of New Mexico {{DEFAULTSORT:Ulibarri, Sabine 1919 births 2003 deaths American writers of Mexican descent Latin Americanists Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Recipients of the Air Medal 20th-century American poets Hispanic and Latino American poets Hispanic and Latino American short story writers