Sherman Alexie is interviewed in the Seattle Times about his upcoming novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. He also recently spoke with NPR.
I've been reading Alexie since he started getting his work published in the mid 90s. He went to my alma mater, Washington State University, and he's clever, smart and terrifically honest in what he says and what he writes. Going to one of his readings is more than simply a reading, it's entertainment (he's funny as hell) and further, bracing in the way he shares his thoughts about societal ills (not simply in regards to white/Indian relations but the relationships of us all).
Read his short stories. They're gems. In particular, his short story (in the collection Ten Little Indians and seen in The New Yorker) "What You Pawn I Will Redeem" is one of the best short stories you'll ever read. Honestly, it'll stick with you long after you've finished it. It's the story of a homeless Native American in Seattle on a quest to buy back his grandmother's stolen regalia he happened upon in a pawn shop. If you have a bit more time to read, crack open Indian Killer and if you don't want to read, watch his funny/dramatic film Smoke Signals, adapted from his short story "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven."
No comments:
Post a Comment