Louise Erdrich facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Louise Erdrich
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Erdrich at the 2015 National Book Festival.
|
|
| Born | Karen Louise Erdrich June 7, 1954 Little Falls, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Occupation |
|
| Nationality | Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota, American |
| Education | Dartmouth College (BA) Johns Hopkins University (MA) |
| Genre | Native American literature, children's books |
| Literary movement | Postmodernism, Native American Renaissance |
| Notable works |
|
| Notable awards |
|
| Spouse | |
| Children | 7 |
| Relatives | Heid E. Erdrich (sister) |
Karen Louise Erdrich (born June 7, 1954) is an American author. She writes novels, poetry, and children's books. Her stories often feature Native American characters and settings. Louise Erdrich is a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota. This is a recognized Ojibwe people tribe.
Erdrich is known as one of the most important writers of the "Native American Renaissance." This was a time when many Native American authors gained recognition. She has written 28 books. These include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and books for kids. Her novel The Plague of Doves was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2009. In 2012, she won the National Book Award for Fiction for The Round House. She also received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2021 for her novel The Night Watchman.
She was married to author Michael Dorris. They worked together on some books. Erdrich also owns Birchbark Books. This is a small bookstore in Minneapolis that focuses on Native American literature.
About Louise Erdrich
Early Life and Family
Louise Erdrich was born on June 7, 1954, in Little Falls, Minnesota. She was the oldest of seven children. Her father, Ralph Erdrich, was German-American. Her mother, Rita (née Gourneau), was an Ojibwe woman. Both of her parents taught at a boarding school in Wahpeton, North Dakota. This school was run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Erdrich's grandfather, Patrick Gourneau, was the tribal chairman for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. Even though Louise was not raised on a reservation, she often visited her relatives there. When she was a child, her father paid her a nickel for every story she wrote. Her sister, Heid E. Erdrich, is also a poet. Another sister, Lise Erdrich, writes children's books.
Education and Inspiration
Erdrich went to Dartmouth College from 1972 to 1976. She was part of the first group of women to attend the college. She earned a degree in English. At Dartmouth, she met Michael Dorris, who was an anthropologist and writer. He directed the new Native American Studies program.
Taking Dorris's class made Erdrich explore her own family history. This inspired her to use her background in her writing. She wrote poems, short stories, and novels based on her heritage. During this time, she also worked as a lifeguard, waitress, and editor for a Native American newspaper.
In 1978, Erdrich studied at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. She earned a Master of Arts degree in writing in 1979. She later published some of the poems and stories she wrote there. After her studies, she returned to Dartmouth as a writer.
Writing and Family Life
After college, Erdrich stayed in touch with Michael Dorris. They began to work together on short stories. Their writing partnership grew into a romantic relationship. They married in 1981. They raised six children together.
In 2001, Erdrich had another daughter, Azure. She wrote about this experience in her 2003 non-fiction book, Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country. Erdrich lives in Minneapolis. She has said that writing can be a lonely job, even though she is surrounded by family and friends.
Louise Erdrich's Books
Early Works and Success
In 1979, Erdrich wrote a short story called "The World's Greatest Fisherman." It was about an Ojibwe woman whose death brought her family together. This story won a $5,000 prize in 1982. It later became the first chapter of her first novel, Love Medicine, published in 1984.
Love Medicine won the 1984 National Book Critics Circle Award. It was the first time a debut novel received this honor. Erdrich later wrote three more novels that continued the story: The Beet Queen (1986), Tracks (1988), and The Bingo Palace (1994).
In the early years of her marriage, Erdrich and Michael Dorris often worked together on their books. They would plan the stories and share their writing every day.
Poetry and Novels
Erdrich also writes poetry. Her first collection of poems, Jacklight (1984), explores the challenges between Native and non-Native cultures. It also celebrates family and uses elements of Ojibwe myths.
She is most famous for her novels. She has published many award-winning and best-selling books. The Beet Queen (1986) continued her style of using many different narrators. It expanded her fictional world to include the town of Argus, North Dakota.
Tracks (1988) goes back in time to the early 1900s. It shows how the reservation was formed. This book introduces the trickster character Nanapush, who is like the Ojibwe figure Nanabozho. The Bingo Palace (1994) is set in the 1980s. It describes how a casino and factory affect the reservation.
After her marriage ended, Erdrich wrote The Antelope Wife (1998). This was her first novel not set in the same fictional world as her earlier books. She later revised it and published it as The Antelope Woman in 2016.
She then returned to writing about the reservation and nearby towns. Her novels The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse (2001) and The Master Butchers Singing Club (2003) connect to The Beet Queen. The Plague of Doves (2009) tells the story of a historical injustice against Native people. Her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Night Watchman (2020) was inspired by her grandfather's life. Her most recent novel, The Sentence, is about a haunting at her bookstore. It is set during the COVID-19 pandemic and the George Floyd protests.
Books for Young Readers
Erdrich also writes for younger audiences. Her children's picture book is called Grandmother's Pigeon. Her children's novel The Birchbark House was a National Book Award finalist. She continued this series with The Game of Silence, The Porcupine Year, Chickadee, and Makoons.
Nonfiction Writing
Besides fiction and poetry, Erdrich has written nonfiction. The Blue Jay's Dance (1995) is about her pregnancy and the birth of her third child. Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country (2003) describes her travels in Minnesota and Ontario after her youngest daughter was born.
Writing Style and Influences
Erdrich's family background, both Native American and German, greatly influences her writing. While many of her books explore her Native American heritage, The Master Butchers Singing Club (2003) focuses on her German ancestry. This novel tells stories of a German Army veteran from World War I.
Her novels often connect to each other, creating a rich fictional world. This style is sometimes compared to William Faulkner's novels. Like Faulkner, Erdrich builds a detailed history of a fictional area. She combines local stories with modern themes.
Birchbark Books
Louise Erdrich owns Birchbark Books, a special bookstore in Minneapolis. The store hosts readings and events. It celebrates the works of many writers, especially local Native authors. Erdrich and her staff see Birchbark Books as a "teaching bookstore."
Besides books, the store sells Native American art and traditional medicines. It also sells Native American jewelry. Wiigwaas Press, a small non-profit publisher, is connected to the store. Erdrich and her sister founded this press.
Awards and Honors
Literary Prizes
- 1984 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction for Love Medicine
- 1984 Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction for Love Medicine
- 1999 World Fantasy Award—Novel for The Antelope Wife
- 2006 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction for "The Game of Silence"
- 2009 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Plague of Doves
- 2012 National Book Award for Fiction for The Round House
- 2013 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction for Chickadee
- 2016 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction for LaRose
- 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Night Watchman
Other Honors
- 1985 Guggenheim Fellowship in Creative Arts
- 2000 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas
- 2009 Honorary Doctorate from Dartmouth College
- 2015 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction
See also
In Spanish: Louise Erdrich para niños
