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Louis Owens
Literary Reflections on His Life and Work
By Edited by Jacquelyn Kilpatrick
Volume 46 in the American Indian Literature and Critical Studies Series
“I write, in part, to explore my own identity. . . . And I write to explore the dilemmas of all mixed-bloods in America. And I write to explore our relationships with the natural world. And I write because it is the greatest pleasure.” —Louis Owens
Louis Owens (1948–2002) achieved worldwide recognition with his humorous and fearless novels that explored themes close to Owens’s own upbringing as a mixed-blood Choctaw, Cherokee, and Irish-American. His critical works were equally substantive. Readers of his criticism find his work challenging, and casual readers find his fiction highly enjoyable—a remarkable combination that speaks well of Owens’s intellectual and creative abilities.
In a new collection of essays, Louis Owens: Literary Reflections on His Life and Work, editor Jacquelyn Kilpatrick and eleven other contributors examine Owens’s fiction and nonfiction from widely varying viewpoints to address issues such as identity, place, literary theory, trickster motifs, and the environment. This text aids the reader in understanding the theories Owens articulated and how he followed those theories in his own writing. Also included is the last interview Owens gave, appearing in print for the first time, which provides insights into this complex man’s personal life.
Jacquelyn Kilpatrick, of Choctaw, Cherokee, and Irish descent, is Professor of English and Founding Faculty member at California State University, Channel Islands. She is the author of Celluloid Indians: Native Americans and Film.
“From the liberating space of Louis Owens: Literary Reflections on His Life and Work, Owens’ texts are free to articulate, to bring together nativist and nationalistic perspectives and concerns, on the one hand, and poststructuralist perspectives and concerns, on the other. A welcome addition to Native American literary studies.” —Chris LaLonde, author of Grave Concerns, Trickster Turns: The Novels of Louis Owens
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