Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Arcade Publishing (1989), Edition: Presumed 1st as edition not stated, Paperback, 278 pages
Description
Storyteller blends original short stories and poetry influenced by the traditional oral tales that Leslie Marmon Silko heard growing up on the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico with autobiographical passages, folktales, family memories, and photographs. As she mixes traditional and Western literary genres, Silko examines themes of memory, alienation, power, and identity; communicates Native American notions regarding time, nature, and spirituality; and explores how stories and storytelling shape people and communities. Storyteller illustrates how one can frame collective cultural identity in contemporary literary forms, as well as illuminates the importance of myth, oral tradition, and ritual in Silko's own work.
User reviews
LibraryThing member whitewavedarling
A cross-genre work combining conventions of fiction, poetry, song, memoir, and documentary, this cinematic journey explores Native American legend and life in the twentieth century. The style of the work changes to fit each exploration within the text, allowing Silko's work to be an exploration of
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Native American philosophy and celebration even as it forms itself to be the memoir of a family, of individuals, and of a time. For anyone interested in Native American literature or cross-genre works, I'd highly recommend this. For others, this is something unique and worthwhile--an engaging journey outside of the normal read. Show Less
LibraryThing member msf59
“The old teller has been on every journey
and she knows all the escape stories
even stories before she was born,
She keeps the stories for those who return
but more important
for the dear ones who do not come back
so that we may remember them
and cry for them with the stories.”
“You must be very
Otherwise the storyteller might get upset and pout
and not say another word all night.”
Storytelling has been a hallowed tradition for Native Americans and has been that way for centuries. Silko pays tribute to that tradition, in this collection of stories, poems and striking, B & W, photographs. She also weaves in her own family's history, along with her own childhood experiences, listening to the tales told by her grandparents. This was my first time reading Silko, and it was a wonderful introduction.
and she knows all the escape stories
even stories before she was born,
She keeps the stories for those who return
but more important
for the dear ones who do not come back
so that we may remember them
and cry for them with the stories.”
“You must be very
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quiet and listen respectfully.Otherwise the storyteller might get upset and pout
and not say another word all night.”
Storytelling has been a hallowed tradition for Native Americans and has been that way for centuries. Silko pays tribute to that tradition, in this collection of stories, poems and striking, B & W, photographs. She also weaves in her own family's history, along with her own childhood experiences, listening to the tales told by her grandparents. This was my first time reading Silko, and it was a wonderful introduction.
Show Less
Language
Physical description
278 p.; 9 inches
ISBN
155970005X / 9781559700054