Ariana E. Vigil 
Understanding Francisco Goldman 

The first book-length study of a writer whose work has been shaped by his unique heritage

Award-winning writer and journalist Francisco Goldman is the author of novels and works of nonfiction and is a regular contributor to the New Yorker magazine. His awards include the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction and the T. R. Fyvel Book Award, as well as a Guggenheim Fellowship. Born to a Guatemalan mother and Jewish American father, Goldman’s heritage has shaped his unique perspective and has had a significant influence on his literary themes.

In Understanding Francisco Goldman, the first book-length study of Goldman’s life and work, Ariana E. Vigil begins with a biographical chapter drawn largely from Goldman’s essays and interviews. Her analytical chapters, one for each of Goldman’s four novels and two works of nonfiction, offer biographical, historical, political, and literary context for each work while exploring major themes.

Vigil examines the influence literary and political history have had in the development of Goldman’s characters and themes, as well as his use of multiple literary genres and the role of humor in his work. She underscores how major themes in Goldman’s work—migration, political violence, love, and loss—are explored across nations and time periods and how they remain significant today.

In Understanding Francisco Goldman, Vigil draws connections between the writer’s life and work and demonstrates the appreciation he deserves for his influence, diversity, and breadth. Through his thoughtful, intellectual, transnational writing, Goldman expands the definition of what it means to be American.

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