Tierra Amarilla

Tierra Amarilla ("Yellow Land") is a small town in northern New Mexico about 15 miles south of the town of Chama, near the border of Colorado and New Mexico. It is a land of high mountains, beautiful lakes, and grassy plateaus. Perhaps the "Yellow Land" refers to the bright yellow color of forests of aspen trees in autumn. The winters are severe. Sabine Ulibarri lived there as a child and brings to us in this book some of the characters and stories that he knew from this lovely and isolated community of predominantly Catholic Hispanic families. New Mexico is the only officially bilingual state and we are fortunate that the University of New Mexico Press gives to us a bilingual edition of these stories so that we can read them in Spanish, or in an English translation, or in both languages. This book is excellent for young boys 15 years or older and for adults as well. It is a compilation of six works by Ulibarri, the first five of which are concerned with the description of the characters and the customs and injustices of the small town life. The last work is the longest in the book and explores the psychological depths of its main character. Much of the book involves the relationship between a boy or young man and his father or father-like figures in the town. The first story "Mi caballo mago" (My Wonder Horse) is a wonderful narrative of a boy's quest for manhood in the capture of the beautiful white horse that no-one else had caught. His love and respect for the horse and his quest win him the respect of his father. The second story "El relleno de dios" (The Stuffing of the Lord) presents the beloved priest Father Benito and his humor. The third story "Juan P" deals with the cruel injustice, of which a small town is capable, when shame and misfortune strike a fellow resident. The fourth story "Sabelo" (Get That Straight) presents the tale of a wonderful old man of keen wit, whom the bees never sting, and why. The fifth story "La fragua sin fuego" (Forge Without Fire) introduces us to the town blacksmith, much admired for his strength and kindness by the young boys of the town. He makes a misjudgement in love; and the story returns to the theme of the unkindness and intolerance of small town society. The sixth story is a long one, occupying half of the book's 167 pages. It is a rich and complex story of a psychological battle between a son and his father, with a good description of a psychotic break, and with a searing conclusion. The Spanish is more difficult to read, and contains some idiosyncrasies of New Mexico Spanish, but a good English translation is always on the facing page, which allows the reader to enjoy both languages. The story also probes the depths of a relationship of a writer to his work, leaving you wondering how much of this rich psychological exploration is autobiographical.