Leslie Marmon Silko

A major American writer at the turn of this millennium Leslie Marmon Silko has also been one of the most powerful voices in the flowering of Native American literature since the publication of her 1977 novel <i>Ceremony</i>. This guide with chapters written by leading scholars of Native American literature explores Silko's major novels <i>Ceremony</i> <i>Almanac of the Dead </i> and <i>Gardens in the Dunes</i> as an entryway into the full body of her work that includes poetry essays short fiction film photography and other visual art.<br/><br/>These chapters map Silko's place in the broad context of American literary history. Further they trace her pivotal role in prompting other Indigenous writers to enter the conversations she helped to launch. Along the way the book engages her historical themes of land ethnicity race gender trauma and healing while examining her narrative craft and her mythic lyricism.