The Interpreter [Paperback]

Robert Moss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1998

Moss tells the story of Pennsylvania's Indian agent during the French and Indian War, Conrad Weiser, one of the greatest American pioneers. As a young teenager, he participates in the revolt of the German settlers against the British colonial agents of New York, the first rebellion in the British colonies. Later his father sends him to live among the Mohawks, where he learns their language and customs and finds his personal mission in life: to be a guide and interpreter. When the German settlers are evicted from their lands, he leads the resistance. Ultimately, he leads many of his people to Pennsylvania, where they carve farms and a new life out of the wilderness and where Weiser wins enduring renown.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The harsh reality, the natural beauty, and the mystical wonder of the American frontier is vividly rendered in this spellbinding fictional profile of a genuinely remarkable pioneer. One of a group of German refugees promised land and opportunity in the New World by Queen Anne of England, young Conrad Weiser sets sail for the colonies in 1710. Arriving in New York, the Palatine Germans who survived the grueling voyage are incensed to learn that they must function as indentured servants for an indefinite period of time before claiming their property. As provisions become scarce and conditions deteriorate, Conrad helps organize a revolt against the British authorities. A natural leader with an independent spirit and an affinity for languages, Conrad spends time among the Mohawks in order to learn their language, religion, and customs. Eventually he serves as an interpreter, Indian agent, and leader of a colony of German settlers in Pennsylvania. Painstakingly researched and richly steeped in authentic period detail, the evocative narrative unfolds into a vibrant tale of courage and adventure. Margaret Flanagan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

A talky tract that's less historical novel than deadly earnest brief for the previously unheralded notion that the settlement of America's Middle Colonies owed much to a sort of psychic friends network. In 1710, teenager Conrad Weiser comes to the New World with the Germans who were recruited by England's Queen Anne to populate the desolate province of New York. The refugees from Europe's seemingly endless wars and religious conflicts quickly find themselves oppressed anew, this time by deceitful, avaricious agents of the Crown. Conrad's father Johann soon sends him to live among the Mohawks. A gifted linguist, the pioneering exchange student takes quickly to Indian ways; perceived as an `old soul' by his hosts (whose younger generation is losing touch with the spirits, great or otherwise, as white men overrun their ancestral domain), he's apprenticed to the shaman Longhair, who tutors him in the fine art of dreaming. An apt pupil, Conrad engages in many out- of-body experiences. When not larking with hawks or eagles, he conjures up the site where Captain Kidd buried treasure on Martha's Vineyard. Journeying there in corporeal form, he retrieves gold and jewelry enough to buy his fellow Germans their own land. While he's prepared to continue his visionary studies with the Real People (as Moss's Indians style themselves), Longhair instead sends him home to serve as a bridge between whites and reds. Conrad marries, starts a family, and eventually leads the Germans into the Pennsylvania wilderness, where (with guidance from a supreme being, the Peacemaker, and his avatar Hiawatha) the group establishes a prosperous farming community. Bad medicine from the usually diverting Moss (The Firekeeper, 1995, etc.), made no easier to swallow by constant prattle about body thieves, death hammers, dreambodies, lifegivers, shapeshifting, soul takers, and timefolders, not to mention the odd anachronism (``She is an arendiwanen, a woman of power. That's something you don't mess with''). -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 430 pages
• Publisher: Forge (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812548485
• ISBN-13: 978-0812548488
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,743,630 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert Moss is the pioneer of Active Dreaming, an original synthesis of shamanism and modern dreamwork. Born in Australia, he survived three near-death experiences in childhood. He leads popular seminars all over the world, including a three-year training for teachers of Active Dreaming and a lively online dream school. A former lecturer in ancient history at the Australian National University, he is a best-selling novelist, journalist and independent scholar. His eight books on dreaming, shamanism and imagination include Conscious Dreaming, Dreamways of the Iroquois, The Three "Only" Things: Tapping the Power of Dreams, Coincidence and Imagination, The Secret History of Dreaming, Dreamgates and Active Dreaming: Journeying beyond Self-Limitation to a Life of Wild Freedom.

Moss describes himself as "a dream teacher, on a path for which there has been no career track in our culture." He identifies the great watershed in his adult life as a sequence of visionary events that unfolded in 1987-1988, after he decided to leave the world of big cities and the fast-track life of a popular novelist (already the author of four New York Times bestsellers, including Moscow Rules) and put down roots on a farm in the upper Hudson Valley of New York. Moss started dreaming in a language he did not know that proved to be an archaic form of the Mohawk language. Helped by native speakers to interpret his dreams, Moss came to believe that they had put him in touch with an ancient healer - a woman of power - and that they were calling him to a different life.

Out of these experiences he wrote a series of historical novels (The Firekeeper, Fire Along the Sky, The Interpreter) and developed the practice he calls Active Dreaming, an original synthesis of contemporary dreamwork and shamanic methods of journeying and healing. A central premise of Moss's approach is that dreaming isn't just what happens during sleep; dreaming is waking up to sources of guidance, healing and creativity beyond the reach of the everyday mind.He introduced his method to an international audience as an invited presenter at the conference of the Association for the Study of Dreams at the University of Leiden in 1994.

Core techniques of Active Dreaming include

The "lightning dreamwork" process, designed to facilitate quick dream-sharing that results in helpful action; the use of the "if it were my dream" protocol encourages the understanding that the dreamer is always the final authority on his or her dream
Dream reentry: the practice of making a conscious journey back inside a dream in order to clarify information, dialogue with a dream character, or move beyond nightmare terrors into healing and resolution
Tracking and group dreaming: conscious dream travel on an agreed itinerary by two or more partners, often supported by shamanic drumming
Navigating by synchronicity: reading coincidence and "symbolic pop-ups" in ordinary life as "everyday oracles".

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book. Nice work of historical fiction., October 20, 2000

By 

"lwandapang" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Interpreter (Paperback)

Some Native American nations thought dreams were significant--sacred even. This is a beautiful take on dreams, with the historical Mohawk interpreter as a central character. I enjoyed it immensely. Nice cover too.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adventure, history and dreaming woven into a powerful saga., July 6, 2007

By 

Robyn Johnson (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Interpreter (Paperback)

This is fine historical fiction: well-written, exciting, and carefully researched. It pulled me right into the stream of events, and left me seeking out history books to learn more. This is one of those books that you just don't want to end. Moss blends the very complex subject into a cohesive, fascinating narrative. Conrad Weiser's story vividly expresses the sacrifice, challenges, and richness of the life of an "interpreter" who bridges different worlds.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting introduction to dreaming, April 8, 2001

By 

MrSofty (St. Louis, Missouri United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Interpreter: A Story of Two Worlds (Hardcover)

This book gave interesting insights into the role of dreaming among some Native American peoples at the time of the birth of our country. Interesting description of the plight of the Schoharie German immigrants. What is lacking is deep character development, and Moss could have done so much more with the conflicts inherent in those turbulent times. However, anyone interested in this period of our history will find the book enjoyable. And the discussion of how to use dreaming has inspired me to read Moss's other books on this topic.