Leslie Marmon Silko: A Collection of Critical Essays

Louise K. Barnett , Editor
James L. Thorson , Editor

Preface by Robert Franklin Gish

With the publication of Ceremony in 1977, a strikingly original voice appeared in Native American fiction. These thirteen essays, the first collection devoted entirely to Silko's work, present new perspectives on her fiction and provide a deeper understanding of her work. From her engagement with the New Mexico landscape to her experiments with cross-cultural narratives and form to her apocalyptic vision of race relations in Almanac of the Dead, Silko has earned her place as a significant contemporary American writer.

All of Silko's important short fiction, her nonfiction essays, and her novel Almanac of the Dead are examined here. The critical approaches range from close reading to the postmodern. This collection is essential for all serious students of Silko's writings.

" . . . an important collection for students interested in new perspectives and a deeper understanding of Silko's work." --Feminist Academic Press

". . .this collection of essays is essential reading for anyone interested in Silko's work. . ."--Western American Literature

". . an excellent gathering of Silko's own words about her process, her work and her view of the stories of her people." --New Mexico Woman

Louise Barnett teaches American literature and Native American literature at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.

6 x 9 331 pages