The Cambridge Companion to Native American Literature

by Joy Porter (Editor), Kenneth M. Roemer (Editor)

This Companion provides an informative and wide-ranging overview of a relatively new field of literary-cultural literature of many genres in English by American Indians from the 1770s to the present day. In addition to the seventeen chapters written by respected experts--Native and non-Native; American, British and European scholars--it includes bio-bibliographies of forty authors, maps, suggestions for further reading, and a timeline which details major works of Native American and mainstream American literature, as well as significant social, cultural and historical events.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference

368 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 2005

Reviews

[Richard Subber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did you know that N. Scott Momaday, an unknown Kiowa Indian author, won the 1968 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for House Made of Dawn, his first novel? He was the first American Indian to win a Pulitzer.

Native American Literature offers a principally academic overview and critique of American Indian literature. There are only two Indians among the 17 contributing writers.

I daresay it will tell you more than you care to know about what I will superficially characterize as “modern” literature written (and sung or performed) by folks who identified as Indian in the 19th and 20th centuries.

I daresay that you will marvel at the expansive literatures that already exist, and about which you may know nothing at all.

Read more of my book reviews and poems here:
www.richardsubber.com

[Ari Mahonen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super helpful for bringing about the wide range of Native authors and some of the histories.

[Burcu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of essays are not to be taken as a basic introduction to Native American literature. As these Cambridge series works often are, they are "companion" pieces to a readership who already has some basic knowledge on the topic and would like to explore further. With its chapter outline, it serves a good survey-purpose. It provides a historical context, lays out genre related structures and focuses on individual authors. It's a good initial guide book for those interested.

[Lenka Halásová · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is an excellent book if you are starting a course on African American literature. But it´s just a companion and if you haven´t read the actual books, it will give you nothing. The book itself goes into details of the plot but it never gives you the entire plot and characters. Usually it focuses on certain aspects. I gave it 75% because sometimes the details didn´t make any sense.

[Nagisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives a wide-ranging overview of Native American literature.