Coming To Light: Contemporary Translations of the Native Literatures of North America (Paperback)

~ Brian Swann (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Swann (Smoothing the Ground: Essays on Native American Oral Literature) provides a solid entree to American Indian mythology in this mammoth, sweeping volume. Focusing on the oral tradition, he has collected new translations of more than 50 ancient stories. Translators include both Indians (Calvin W. Fast Wolf, Larry Evers, Darryl Babe Wilson) and noted non-Indian experts in the field (William Shipley, William Bright, Dennis Tedlock). Divided into seven geographically oriented sections, the book presents tales from a wide variety of tribal traditions from the Arctic to the American Southwest. The familiar trickster Coyote is represented in stories from the Navajo of the Southwest and the Kalapuya of the North Pacific Coast. But less well-known trickster figures are also included?Raven and Wolverine of the far north; Nanabush of the Ojibwe of the Eastern Woodlands; Fox of the Atsugewi of California. There is celebration, as in a thanksgiving song from the Iroquois tradition; there is also an explanation of death, from the North Pacific Coast. The being usually known as "Monster Slayer," a principal figure in Navajo and Apache mythology, is given fresh life through translations that call him "Enemy Slayer" and "He Triumphs Over Evils." Swann's knowledgeable introduction sets the translations in historical context and discusses the oral tradition; individual translators provide introductions to their own work.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Swann (English, Cooper Union) continues his work of presenting Native American literatures. He has already edited several well-received collections (e.g., On the Translation of Native American Literatures, Smithsonian, 1992) of this still poorly known American art form. In a vast but geographically uneven collection (half the stories are from the Subarctic, Alaska, and the Southwest), he attempts to place these new translations in their respective cultures. Swann has gathered intact texts from storytellers, singers, and orators. Arranged by region and tribe, each set of translations is prefaced by a lengthy introduction by the translator that sets the stories in context. The focus varies, depending on whether the translator is a linguist, anthropologist, or educator and whether he or she is a Native speaker, of which a fair number are. This wide-ranging collection goes far toward achieving Swann's goal of presenting a collection of reliable translations placed in their cultural and historical environments. Recommended both for general readers and specialists.?Lisa A. Mitten, Univ. of Pittsburgh Lib.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 848 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (February 13, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679743588
• ISBN-13: 978-0679743583
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #970,677 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, February 15, 2004

By	grasshopper4 (Arkansas) - See all my reviews

Readers interested in the traditional stories, myths, folktales, and other cultural expressions of American Indians would be hard pressed to find a better anthology than this excellent book. Swann edited together stories from a wide range of regions within North America. He included terrific introductions by excellent researchers and authors. These introductions present sufficient background information to learn about the storytelling traditions, and the commentary helps readers understand and appreciate the texts. There is also an extensive bibliography that includes hundreds of additional sources for learning more about the stories, storytellers, authors, and societies that are represented in the book. The stories, themselves, are magnificent. Some are fairly accessible to readers with little knowledge of American Indian history and culture. Other narratives are more esoteric, and they must be read and reread with great patience. As readers develop ways to read these stories, the wonder of the tradition lights up ways to think about the verbal artistry of America's first peoples.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The very best!, October 13, 2006

By	P. Charalambous (Cyprus) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Not much need to be said, simply the best collection of indian oral literature I found, and I looked anywhere and everywhere!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A magnificent collection of Native North American literature, July 16, 2001

By	Michael J. Mazza (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

"Coming to Light: Contemporary Translations of the Native Literatures of North America," edited by Brian Swann, is an amazing volume. Approximately 800 pages long, this anthology brings together materials from all over the continent. Cultures included range from the Yupik of Alaska to the Zuni of New Mexico to the Iroquois of southern Ontario--more than 30 different peoples in all.

Each selection is preceded by its own separate introduction which discusses such topics as the culture and language of the people who produced the text, the specific storytellers, and translation issues.

The material in the anthology includes creation myths, animal tales, trickster stories, songs, and stories of birth, death, and transformation. Some of the most remarkable selections include the Wolverine tales of the Innu, which are masterpieces of bawdy humor, and the Yupik tale of "The Boy Who Went to Live with the Seals," a magical story of human/animal relations. I highly recommend "Coming to Light."