Western professor wins international award
Eduardo Gonzalez-Viana wins international latino book award
Jeffery Sawyer
Issue date: 10/12/07 Section: Headlines
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His most recently released novel "El Corrido de Dante" won this year's International Latino Book Award for best adventure or drama novel. His novel was selected for the award over Isabel Allende, who is one of the most popular Spanish writers in the world. The book is about a Mexican who lives on Mt. Angel. The man is a farmer from Michoacan who travels the US looking for his lost daughter. Throughout the book he tells his life story to his companion who is accompanying him, a Donkey named Virgilio.
Gonzalez is almost always working on a book or some kind of other publication. Gonzalez, referencing the Jessica Todd ghost-story, jokes, "I am the ghost that really haunts Todd Hall because I am here nearly all day long working on something, even on Saturdays and Sundays." The Spanish professor won the university's 2006 Mario and Alma Pastega Award for Scholarship which honors a full-time faculty member who demonstrates outstanding creativity of scholarly accomplishments.He has just finished a biography of Cesar Vallejo, an important Latin American poet.
Gonzalez feels that his mission in life is to help people. One of the many ways he tries to help is through his writing, using his own experiences to teach and help others. The Building a Bridge program has helped many non native
Oregonians settle
and become more comfortable after undergoing so many changes. When he traveled to Peru, in late summer, he arrived right after an earthquake hit the central portion of the country. While visiting his native land he assisted in the relief efforts designed to help those who had lost their homes and been otherwise affected by the earthquake.
He believes teaching Spanish at Western is yet another way he can help. His advice to those learning a foreign language: "You can't learn to dance without another person." But, if you practice with a partner, or two, the lessons will be learned much easier. Through his writing and helping Spanish speakers learn English, he is giving them a voice and a better chance to realize and reach their dreams.•
Gonzalez is almost always working on a book or some kind of other publication. Gonzalez, referencing the Jessica Todd ghost-story, jokes, "I am the ghost that really haunts Todd Hall because I am here nearly all day long working on something, even on Saturdays and Sundays." The Spanish professor won the university's 2006 Mario and Alma Pastega Award for Scholarship which honors a full-time faculty member who demonstrates outstanding creativity of scholarly accomplishments.He has just finished a biography of Cesar Vallejo, an important Latin American poet.
Gonzalez feels that his mission in life is to help people. One of the many ways he tries to help is through his writing, using his own experiences to teach and help others. The Building a Bridge program has helped many non native
Oregonians settle
and become more comfortable after undergoing so many changes. When he traveled to Peru, in late summer, he arrived right after an earthquake hit the central portion of the country. While visiting his native land he assisted in the relief efforts designed to help those who had lost their homes and been otherwise affected by the earthquake.
He believes teaching Spanish at Western is yet another way he can help. His advice to those learning a foreign language: "You can't learn to dance without another person." But, if you practice with a partner, or two, the lessons will be learned much easier. Through his writing and helping Spanish speakers learn English, he is giving them a voice and a better chance to realize and reach their dreams.•
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