The Nature of Native American Poetry

By Norma Wilson

Book Overview

The beginning of the twenty-first century marks the maturation of the voices of indigenous poets in the United States. Norma Wilson's appealing and accessible collection of essays is both an introduction to and an enthusiastic celebration of the poetic vistas inhabited by modern Native American writers.

Wilson's scope is both broad and specific as she draws from contemporary criticism, tribal histories and folklore, interviews with writers, and, of course, from the poetry itself. Her study is firmly grounded in the oral traditions and personal and tribal histories of the eight poets on whom she focuses--Carter Revard, N. Scott Momaday, Simon Ortiz, Lance Henson, Roberta Hill, Linda Hogan, Wendy Rose, and Joy Harjo. A final chapter on the "new generation" considers younger poets such as Sherman Alexie, Cheryl Savageau, Tiffany Midge, and Elizabeth Woody, among others.

At the same time, Wilson's broad understanding of the literary heritage of East, West, and First nations allows her to place Native American poetry in global and historical context. Wilson points out Native American writers have been influenced by such well-known Western "canon" poets as Blake, Whitman, and Ginsberg. Her study further elucidates the clear mark that Native American literature, culture, and oral-poetic traditions have left on five centuries of British and American literature.

The Nature of Native American Poetry is a guidebook mapping the modern rhythms of our ancient literary landscape.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 082632259X
• ISBN13: 9780826322593
• Release Date: December 2000
• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Native North America Revealed Through Its Poetry

Poet and professor Norma Wilson offers us eight concise chapters on eight living literary heroes--four men and four women--who are well known nationwide in Indian country but still exotic enough to pique the interest of mainstream readers. In passing, and particularly in her introduction and a concluding chapter entitled "The New Generation," Wilson makes cogent observations on many other Native poets. There is no better brief introduction to Native writing (most Natives begin writing as poets). Not a word is wasted, and the bibliography alone is worth the price of the book. Wilson's expert literary analysis bridges the gap between the Western European canon and oral tradition.