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 a famous Native American author. She writes novels, poems, and children's books. Her stories often feature Native American characters and are set in Native American communities. She is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota.
Many people consider Erdrich 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, including 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 her novel The Round House. She also won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2021 for The Night Watchman.
Louise Erdrich used to be married to author Michael Dorris. They worked together on some books. She also owns Birchbark Books, a small bookstore in Minneapolis. This store focuses on Native American literature and supports the Native community.
Contents
About Louise Erdrich's Life
Erdrich was born on June 7, 1954, in Little Falls, Minnesota. She was the oldest of seven children. Her father was German-American, and her mother was an Ojibwe woman of French background. Both of her parents taught at a boarding school in Wahpeton, North Dakota. Her grandfather, Patrick Gourneau, was a tribal chairman for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. Even though she didn't grow up on a reservation, she often visited relatives there.
When Louise was a child, her father would pay her a nickel for every story she wrote. This helped her love for writing grow! Her sister, Heid E. Erdrich, also became a poet. Another sister, Lise Erdrich, writes children's books and essays.
Louise Erdrich went to Dartmouth College from 1972 to 1976. She was in 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. His class helped her explore her own family history, which later inspired her writing. After Dartmouth, she earned a Master of Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1979.
Erdrich and Michael Dorris stayed in touch and started working on stories together. They married in 1981. They raised six children together, including three that Dorris had adopted before they met. They separated in 1995 and divorced in 1996.
In 2001, Erdrich had another daughter named Azure. Erdrich lives in Minneapolis and continues to write. She once said that even though she is surrounded by family and friends, writing is a lonely process, but "that is perfect."
Louise Erdrich's Books
In 1979, Louise 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 more books that continued the story of the characters from Love Medicine. These books include The Beet Queen (1986), Tracks (1988), and The Bingo Palace (1994).
In the early years of their marriage, Erdrich and Michael Dorris often worked together. They would plan books and share their writing every day.
Novels for Adults
Erdrich is most famous for her novels. She has published many award-winning and best-selling books. Her novels often use many different characters to tell the story. They also expand the fictional world of the reservation and nearby towns.
Tracks (1988) goes back in time to the early 1900s. It shows the beginning of the reservation and how traditional ways clashed with the Roman Catholic Church. The Bingo Palace (1994) is set in the 1980s. It describes how a casino and a factory affect the reservation community.
After her divorce, Erdrich wrote The Antelope Wife (1998). This was her first novel not set in the same world as her previous books. She later revised it and published it again in 2016.
She then returned to writing about the reservation and nearby towns. Her novel The Plague of Doves (2009) was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. It tells the story of a historical injustice where Native people were wrongly accused of a crime. Her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Night Watchman (2020) is about a fight against a bill that would have ended tribal recognition. This book was inspired by her grandfather's life. Her most recent novel, The Sentence, is about a haunting at her Minneapolis bookstore. It takes place during the COVID-19 pandemic and the George Floyd protests.
Books for Young Readers
Louise Erdrich also writes for younger audiences. She has a children's picture book called Grandmother's Pigeon. Her children's book The Birchbark House was a National Book Award finalist. She continued this series with:
- The Game of Silence (which won an award for historical fiction)
- The Porcupine Year
- Chickadee
- Makoons
Nonfiction Writing
Besides fiction and poetry, Erdrich has written nonfiction books. 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 northern 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, her novel The Master Butchers Singing Club (2003) focuses on her German ancestry. This book tells stories of a German Army veteran from World War I.
Her novels are often compared to those of William Faulkner. Like Faulkner, Erdrich creates many stories in the same fictional area. She weaves together local history with modern themes.
Birchbark Books
Louise Erdrich's bookstore, Birchbark Books, is a special place. It hosts readings by authors and other events. Erdrich reads from her new books there, and the store celebrates the work of other writers, especially local Native authors. Erdrich and her team see Birchbark Books as a "teaching bookstore." Besides books, the store sells Native American art, traditional medicines, and jewelry. Erdrich and her sister also founded Wiigwaas Press, a small nonprofit publisher connected to the store.
Awards and Honors
Louise Erdrich has received many awards for her writing.
Literary Prizes
- 1983 Pushcart Prize in Poetry
- 1984 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction for Love Medicine
- 1984 Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction for Love Medicine
- 1985 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction for Love Medicine
- 1987 O. Henry Award for the short story "Fleur"
- 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
- 2014 Dayton Literary Peace Prize, Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award
- 2016 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction for LaRose
- 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Night Watchman
- 2023 Prix Femina étranger for The Sentence (French translation)
Other Honors
- 1975 American Academy of Poets Prize
- 1980 MacDowell Fellowship
- 1985 Guggenheim Fellowship in Creative Arts
- 2000 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas
- 2005 Associate Poet Laureate of North Dakota
- 2009 Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Letters) from Dartmouth College
- 2009 Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement
- 2013 Rough Rider Award
- 2014 PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction
- 2015 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction
- 2022 Berresford Prize for significant contributions to the advancement and care of artists in society
See also
In Spanish: Louise Erdrich para niños
