Crossing Wyoming

by David Romtvedt

"Crossing Wyoming achieves a narrative scope and unity rare in any gathering of stories. A complex, moving book, [it] conveys the colorful, violent sweep of American history, the majesty and vulnerability of its wilderness, and the suffering and patient endurance of its citizens--natives and newcomers alike...it's difficult to imagine any reader coming away unshaken by [Romtvedt's] powerful, compassionate vision."-- The Georgia Review

263 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1993

Reviews

[Laura Steinert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who hopes to write someday should be reading Romtvedt.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This extensive series of vignettes spans the American West and South America from pre-colonial times to present-day Wyoming, with subjects as disparate as the Mayan and Aztec empires, northern Plains ceremonies, a teenage student's rant, and buffalo extinction. Romstedt is first a poet, and the highly condensed, minimalist and occasionally impressionist nature of his prose requires his reader to have a strong ear and ability to visualize. His frequent forays into magical realism have mixed success; sometimes the conceit of a time-travelling narrator recording episodes of history is effective but often it provokes head-scratching. I found the quality of these stories to vary wildly, but I would like to revisit them again at leisure, reading a few at a time and not straight through. I suspect some stand better on their own than in sequence.