Background
Mr. De Leon was born in Laredo, Texas, United States, on May 9, 1945. He is a son of Francisco De Leon Cordero (a migrant worker) and Maria Guadalupe De Leon-Gonzalez (a migrant worker).
Mr. De Leon was born in Laredo, Texas, United States, on May 9, 1945. He is a son of Francisco De Leon Cordero (a migrant worker) and Maria Guadalupe De Leon-Gonzalez (a migrant worker).
Nephtali De Leon attended Texas Technological University, Our Lady of the Lake University of San Antonio, Instituto de Alianza Francesa, and University of Mexico City.
From 1968 to 1973 worked as an editor for Mr. De Leon La Voz de los Llanos (bilingual weekly journal; title means “The Voice of the Plains”), Lubbock, TX. Since 1973 he has become a freelance poet, writer, painter, and sculptor. Later he held the posts of the President of Le Cercle Francais, director of Teatro Chicano del Barrio; vice chair of American Civil Liberties Union, and Ciudadanos Pro Justicia Social. He has given poetry readings on television.
Although neither of his parents received much formal education, Nephtali De Leon says that they were responsible for first exposing him to literature. He published his first book — Chicanos: Our Background and Our Pride — in the early 1960s during his senior year of high school. He then expanded his work to include poetry and plays, dabbling in mural art and children's stories on the side (his first children's book I Will Catch the Sun received great praise). Currently, Mr. De Leon is a full-time poet, writer, and painter who performs lectures and poetry at schools and community events.
Military service: U.S. Army.
(Neither an ideology nor a myth, a Chicano is a very real ...)
Mr. De Leon depicts the "dreams, desires, and aspirations" of the Chicano people. He believes that Chicanos have been "held in psychological and spiritual bondage...and that they are cultural and intellectual hostages in American society". In his works he tries to trace how this predicament has developed throughout history and he also attempts to display the dreams and attitudes of the Chicano people. His writings are based on ancient Aztec language and culture.