Plastic Indian
A Collection of Stories and Other Writings
71st Edition
Published on 30. August 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
174 pages
978-0-8061-6151-8 (ISBN)
Description
So what does it mean to be a Cherokee?"" asks Cherokee author Robert J. Conley at the start of this delightful collection of his writings. Throughout his prolific career, Conley used his art to explore Cherokee identity and experience. With his passing in 2014, Native American literature - and American literature in general - lost a major voice. Fortunately, this posthumous publication, edited by the author's wife, Evelyn L. Conley, offers readers the opportunity to appreciate anew the blend of humor, candor, and creativity that makes his work so exceptional.
Best known as a novelist, especially for his beloved Real People series, Conley was also a masterful writer of short stories, essays, plays, and speeches. The breadth of his talents is on full display in this wide-ranging collection, which begins with his very last public address, delivered in North Carolina in 2013. Following that speech, the reader is treated to what may be Conley's most famous short story, ""Plastic Indian,"" the hilarious tale of three Cherokee youths who try to take down a giant plastic Indian located along Highway 51 between Tahlequah and Tulsa.
Like many of Conley's works, ""Plastic Indian"" is set in contemporary times, but as we discover through the stories that follow, the author drew inspiration from traditional Cherokee folktales and oral storytelling. His delight in the spoken word is evident in the single play featured in this volume, based on the writings of ethnographer James Mooney and originally performed for radio.
Conley is also celebrated for his accurate depictions of the Old West (it is no accident that he was the first American Indian president of the distinguished Western Writers of America association), so the collection would not be complete without two of his cowboy stories, namely ""The Execution"" and ""Nate's Revenge.""
The volume concludes with four of the author's speeches. Laced with the author's typical dry humor, these personal testimonies serve as a moving coda to the author's extensive and illustrious career.
Best known as a novelist, especially for his beloved Real People series, Conley was also a masterful writer of short stories, essays, plays, and speeches. The breadth of his talents is on full display in this wide-ranging collection, which begins with his very last public address, delivered in North Carolina in 2013. Following that speech, the reader is treated to what may be Conley's most famous short story, ""Plastic Indian,"" the hilarious tale of three Cherokee youths who try to take down a giant plastic Indian located along Highway 51 between Tahlequah and Tulsa.
Like many of Conley's works, ""Plastic Indian"" is set in contemporary times, but as we discover through the stories that follow, the author drew inspiration from traditional Cherokee folktales and oral storytelling. His delight in the spoken word is evident in the single play featured in this volume, based on the writings of ethnographer James Mooney and originally performed for radio.
Conley is also celebrated for his accurate depictions of the Old West (it is no accident that he was the first American Indian president of the distinguished Western Writers of America association), so the collection would not be complete without two of his cowboy stories, namely ""The Execution"" and ""Nate's Revenge.""
The volume concludes with four of the author's speeches. Laced with the author's typical dry humor, these personal testimonies serve as a moving coda to the author's extensive and illustrious career.
Reviews / Votes
No writer, Native or otherwise, understood Cherokee history better than Robert J. Conley. He was always able to breathe life into his characters in a particularly vivid way. His outlaws and lawmen, heroes and villains are always memorable and never one-dimensional. Every story in Plastic Indian is satisfying and complete."" - Joseph Bruchac, author of Chenoo: A NovelMore details
Series
Edition
American Indian Literature and Critical Studies
Language
English
Place of publication
Oklahoma
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
1 black & white illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
228 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8061-6151-8 (9780806161518)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Robert J. Conley (1940-2014) was the author of the Real People series, The Witch of Goingsnake and Other Stories, Mountain Windsong, and Wil Usdi. Conley was a three-time winner of the Spur Award and was named Oklahoma Writer of the Year in 1999. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Professional Writers Hall of Fame in 1996.
Geary Hobson is Professor of English at the University of Oklahoma, author of the novel The Last of the Ofos, and editor of The Remembered Earth: An Anthology of Contemporary Native American Literature.
Geary Hobson is Professor of English at the University of Oklahoma, author of the novel The Last of the Ofos, and editor of The Remembered Earth: An Anthology of Contemporary Native American Literature.