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Joy Harjo

Jennifer Elise Foerster

When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry Paperback – August 25, 2020

by LeAnne Howe Jennifer Elise Foerster Joy Harjo (Editor)

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Selected as one of Oprah Winfrey's "Books That Help Me Through"

United States Poet Laureate Joy Harjo gathers the work of more than 160 poets, representing nearly 100 indigenous nations, into the first historically comprehensive Native poetry anthology.

This landmark anthology celebrates the indigenous peoples of North America, the first poets of this country, whose literary traditions stretch back centuries. Opening with a blessing from Pulitzer Prize–winner N. Scott Momaday, the book contains powerful introductions from contributing editors who represent the five geographically organized sections. Each section begins with a poem from traditional oral literatures and closes with emerging poets, ranging from Eleazar, a seventeenth-century Native student at Harvard, to Jake Skeets, a young Diné poet born in 1991, and including renowned writers such as Luci Tapahanso, Natalie Diaz, Layli Long Soldier, and Ray Young Bear. When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through offers the extraordinary sweep of Native literature, without which no study of American poetry is complete.

Print length

496 pages
Language

English
Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company
Publication date

August 25, 2020
Dimensions

6.1 x 1.5 x 9.3 inches
ISBN-10

0393356809
ISBN-13

978-0393356809
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This anthology is revelatory and stunning.… It shows the remarkable strength and diversity of Native poetry, which vitalizes all of American poetry. It is essential reading."
― Arthur Sze, National Book Award–winning author of Sight Lines

About the Author

Joy Harjo is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She is the author of nine poetry collections and two memoirs, most recently Poet Warrior. The recipient of the 2023 Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2023 Bollingen Prize for American Poetry, and the 2017 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, she lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

LeAnne Howe is the author, most recently, of Savage Conversations. She teaches at the University of Georgia – Athens.

Jennifer Elise Foerster is the author of Bright Raft in the Afterweather. She lives in California.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; First Edition (August 25, 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393356809
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393356809
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.3 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.1 x 1.5 x 9.3 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #35,119 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3 in Native American Poetry (Books)
- #19 in Poetry Anthologies (Books)
- #40 in Literary Criticism & Theory

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4.8 598 ratings

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Joy Harjo
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Joy Harjo is an internationally renowned poet, performer, and writer of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and served three terms as the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States. Harjo is the author of ten books of poetry, several plays, children's books, and two memoirs; she has also produced seven award-winning music albums and edited several anthologies. Her many honors include the Ruth Lily Prize from the Poetry Foundation, the Academy of American Poets Wallace Stevens Award, two NEA fellowships, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Tulsa Artist Fellowship. She is a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets and Board of Directors Chair of the Native Arts & Cultures Foundation. She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she is the inaugural Artist-in-Residence for the Bob Dylan Center.
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Jennifer Elise Foerster
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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5

598 global ratings

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Chesapeake Bishop

A veritable treasury of our Native Nations' poets

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 1, 2020

Verified Purchase

As I received the book only a few days ago, just the mere preliminary browse satisfies in that the inner ear of the spirit awakens to the universal beauty and angst of poetic line and thought - so that the sanctity of such lush lines as in "An Agony of Place" by Hawaiian poet Haunani-Kay Trask reverberates, no matter what my, or your, background may be - and I am sure that such a browse would continue to satisfy for myself, being well read in Native Nations history and literature. But yourself? Even I will need to pull such latter volumes off the shelf to find the lens of nearly all of the poets in our Poet Laureate Joy Harjo's splendid anthology because I want to know each of them, their nation, tribe and place, for the diapter of the heart to see the spiritual page with their individual pens. ... And while I am on the browse, let me mention also the Anishinaabe Gordon Henry, Jr., from White Earth, Minnesota, his "November Becomes the Sky with Suppers for the Dead." And then Jane Johnston Schoolcraft (Bamewawage Zhikaquay), 1800-1842, "To the Pine Tree," as she intersperses her native Ojibwe tongue with Americanish, and think 'Joyce Kilmer, eat you heart out'. And on and on.

Yes, you'll love the book for the browse alone. But if you really want to go into these poets' and their voice of place, it helps to have two works at your elbows, both edited by the indefatigable Anton Treuer, "Indian Nations of North America" and "Atlas of Indian Nations" (both National Geographic).

Odds and ends. Miss Harjo annotates brief bios of each poet, including nation, tribe and place. There's much to rejoice in. My only complaint is that there is no hardcover edition - but then, this is America, softcover makes the work available to the masses. Go, buy.

29 people found this helpful

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SummerMeadow8

Wonderful

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 26, 2022

Verified Purchase

Please seek out reviews by those with similar voices to the authors/editors, that is not me.
This is a giant anthology of native nations poetry. On a personal note, I thought it would take me all year to read - both because of its size and because I’m new to poetry and it sometimes takes me awhile to read and process. This was so engaging and the range of poetry was vast and intriguing, it kept pulling me in. I love the bio for each poet. I also enjoyed the information but the editors for each area section, as well as in the intro and outro.
I felt like there were a lot or similar themes, as if a thread was weaving them all together. It bridges two centuries, and within each generation there is a similarity in topic and style I was expecting.
Highly recommend this book for everyone, especially those who live in “America”. It’s an investment for sure but worth your time.

3 people found this helpful

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Erin Flynn

Beautifully Comprehensive

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 24, 2022

Verified Purchase

This should be in every high school literature classroom. Fantastic poetry and poets.

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Phenomenal Content. Poor Quality Contol

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 7, 2022

Verified Purchase

I purchased this book as a gift and LOVED the poetry. There’s a wonderful arrays of voices from different times, places and lenses. I also love that there are sections detailing each poet. My only gripe is my book unfortunately came with visible water damage and as it was purchased as a gift this was extremely disappointing.

One person found this helpful

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angel bryant

Just buy this book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 28, 2021

Verified Purchase

No words could sum up the brilliant art of this anthology! Have reread several times in just weeks.
If you enjoy modern poetry, if you are interested in indigenous peoples issues, if you've got a Native American friend who tells a great story.., pick up this amazing Norton anthology. Wish this existed 20 years ago when I was a lit major in school. First Nations poets speak beauty, truth, heartbreak, grief, hope, and hopelessness, this work is powerful and inspirational.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

HMA

Poetry book w a long title

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 8, 2021

Verified Purchase

This book is made up a collection of poetry from 1800's to present. There are many well know and unknown scholars referenced and their poetry presented. It is a rare opportunity as a collector , writer and, reader of poetry to have this book. I recommend it highly for anyone who wants insight into the lives of Native Americans and the treatment by our government. It is an education in itself.

Helpful

D. Rachlin

Outstanding and important anthology

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 4, 2021

Verified Purchase

Anything Joy Harjo writes or anthologizes is a monumental work. And that certainly describes this anthology. Each section is by region and then each poem is arranged historically. This is a huge collection of work by Indigenous writers that will be a valued addition to a growing series of anthologies. It only covers the 50 United States. I would love to see a companion volume for Canada and Mexico/Central America. The anthology called "Sing" is useful for those regions.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Christopher Adams

Impressive collection

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 23, 2021

Verified Purchase

I like the range. I have maps showing the areas where tribes lived and roamed. It helps me round out my understanding of the people and their beliefs. I am trying to understand early America from voices other than pilgrims, from those who nurtured the land. Beautiful stories and expressions.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Ellie

Beautiful anthology

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 3, 2020

Verified Purchase

Beautiful anthology of poems with a brief biography of each poet. Great book to dip into, learn from and enjoy.

One person found this helpful

Arlia

Transported to new experiences by connection with incredible poets

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 2, 2020

Verified Purchase

Liked connecting to the experience of the Poets communicated in extraordinary poems wonderful book

One person found this helpful

BuyAmazon

Beautiful collection of poetry. Heartfelt and heart wrenching

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 1, 2021

Verified Purchase

Wonderful anthology.

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