Dagoberto Gilb

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Dagoberto Gilb

Dagoberto Gilb was born in Los Angeles in 1950. A mix of gritty humor, mundane terror, and economic misfortune distinguishes his short stories. His life has been neither easy nor subdued, and these influences are reflected in his writing style and choice of subject matter. The short story entitled “Love in L.A.,” by Dagoberto Gilb, shows how one can see many reasons in seeing irony and even satire by the story’s title and how all is stories combine in someway.

Dagoberto Gilb’s childhood was spent running wild in a bad part of Los Angeles. At the age of eighteen, Gilb decided to attend college, obtaining degrees in Philosophy and Religious studies. It was during this period that he began to keep personal notebooks. Following completions of a master’s degree, he became a journeyman carpenter from 1976 – 1991, which provided the flexibility to devote large blocks of time to writing. He is married to a woman named Rebeca, and has two children named Antonio and Ricardo. Gilb worked in the Department of English at the University of Texas in 1988, the University of Arizona in 1992, and the University of Wyoming in 1994 (“Dagoberto Gilb”)

Literary magazines were not remotely interested in publishing Gilb’s stories, which focus primarily on the professional and personal struggles of working-class Mexican Americans. But his unapologetic stories about working-class Mexican Americans have made him a voice of his people (Reid130). Gilb’s short stories are set vividly in cites of the desert Southwest and usually feature a Hispanic protagonist who is good-hearted but often irresponsible and is forever one pink slip or automotive breakdown away from disaster (Reid130).

Gilb was persuaded to submit some of the 750 pages of his unpublished stories to the National Endowment of the Arts, and, when he won a grant, it enabled him to take time to put together a collection of his work. That was The Magic of Blood, which was published in 1993 and won him a PEN Hemingway Award. The following year, recognition abounded in the form of prestigious literary awards and a flood of critical attention for The Magic of Blood (“The Magic of Blood”63-74)

Gilb has earned many awards including the Institute of Letters Award for best book of fiction and best short story in 1993. In El Paso, he gave up on New York publishing and sold his story collection to the University of New Mexico Press.

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