The Man Made of Words: Essays, Stories, Passages [Hardcover]

N. Scott Momaday (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1997

A collection of thirty-two essays, stories, and passages from a Pulitzer Prize-winning author chronicles how he became the first recognized Native American voice of the twentieth century and explores such themes as land, language, and identity.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The winner of the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his novel, House Made of Dawn, N. Scott Momaday is renowned as an influential Native American writer. In this collection of essays he turns his attention to the differences between oral and written cultures; to places he has visited and lived; and to the weighty issues of government Indian policies and the enduring damage they continue to inflict. He writes movingly of his Kiowa forebears, and he teaches us great lessons about mankind and its relationship to nature. Momaday is a deeply thoughtful observer and a graceful writer, and the essays in The Man Made of Words are both provocative and elegant.

From Library Journal

The son of a Kiowa father and a mother who knew only English, Momaday, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1968 for his novel House Made of Dawn, was surrounded by the sounds of two languages. In this volume, Momaday collects stories and essays written over the past 30 years that focus on language, the land, and the relationship between Native Americans and whites. In stories about his travels, Momaday describes some of the places he has visited?Russia, Bavaria, Granada?with great beauty. In the stories about people and animals, his subjects come alive on the page. Memorable portraits include one of Jay Silverheels (Tonto in the Lone Ranger television series) and an endearing dog, Cacique del Monte Chamiza (the author's black Labrador retriever). This volume is a good addition to, but not a substitute for, the author's poetry and fiction. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.?Caroline A. Mitchell, Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 211 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1 edition (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312155816
• ISBN-13: 978-0312155810
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,115,057 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars N. Scott Momaday: A Master of Time, History, and Language, November 12, 1998

By 

[e-mail] or Nathan Williams (Albuquerque, New Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Man Made of Words: Essays, Stories, Passages (Paperback)

N. Scott Momaday is the most intelligent, thought-provoking, and beautiful writer of this century. I went to a reading at Emory University in Atlanta, GA a few weeks before this book was published throughout the country. The book mixes the beauty of language with the complexity of the human experience with the spirit of the Bear-- breathing heavily, seductively down the neck of the reader. This book, novel, essay collection: is essential for anyone who understands or who longs to understand the living, breathing entity that is language-- and that language which constitutes our own nature and being.

5.0 out of 5 stars pinerock, May 14, 2011

By 

Patricia J. Klein "bookbug" (PETERSBURG, NY, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Man Made of Words: Essays, Stories, Passages (Hardcover)

n. scott momaday is a gift to us! if you are in touch with nature and appreciate the power of native american literary/oral tradition ALL his many books are worth the read. AND if you are able to hear his voice reading his poetry you will never, never forget the moment. his words sing!