Western Book Roundup

Tony Hillerman Dies at 83 and Western Books for Politicians

By Jenny Shank, 10-29-08

New Mexico novelist Tony Hillerman died Saturday in Albuquerque of pulmonary failure at the age of 83.  Hillerman wrote a well-loved series of mystery novels featuring Navajo characters, and the New York Times ran a lengthy profile of his career.  Galleycat pointed to a touching essay about Hillerman by Deanne Stillman (whose recent book we excerpted here).  Stillman wrote for LA Observed about how HIllerman was her teacher in journalism school in New Mexico, and how he helped her and others find the confidence to write.

The long presidential campaign will finally conclude next Tuesday—or whenever the ballots are tallied.  Although many of us are thoroughly sick of anything pertaining to politics at this point, I thought I’d share the results of a book survey I participated in a few months ago.  Jeff Lee of the Tattered Cover’s Rocky Mountain Land Library asked a bunch of writers and bookish people in the region to put together a “reading list for the President-Elect: A Western States Primer for the Next Administration.” High Country News published some of the responses last month, including those from Rick Bass, Barry Lopez, Laura Pritchett, Teresa Jordan, and Aaron Abeyta.

As for my choices, I decided to pick ten books that, for the most part, didn’t have anything to do with politics, but were simply great reads that I felt would convey a picture of the West to someone who was unfamiliar with the region—the land, its people, its culture, and history:

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (I was surprised that no one else mentioned any books by Willa Cather.)

Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness by Edward Abbey (Rick Bass also picked this book.)

Winter in the Blood by James Welch (Nobody else picked anything by James Welch.)

Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko (William deBuys agreed with me.)

Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros (I was the only one to name Cisneros—probably because she’s originally from Chicago, but I thought this story collection was sufficiently steeped in southwestern lore.)

Dakota by Kathleen Norris (Just me on this one, too.)

In the Loyal Mountains by Rick Bass (Laura Pritchett and Char Miller recommended “anything by Rick Bass")

Plainsong by Kent Haruf (Rick Bass and Laura Pritchett agreed with me on this one.)

Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx (Nobody else mentioned Proulx.)

Gallatin Canyon by Thomas McGuane (And I’m the only one to pick McGuane.)

What books do you think the next President should read to get to know the West?  Leave a comment and share your suggestions.

Speaking of Annie Proulx, Susan Reynolds of the Los Angeles Times recently interviewed the uncompromising writer at her home in Saratoga, Wyoming. (Via Slushpile.net.) Among the revelations: Proulx wishes she’d never written “Brokeback Mountain” because of all the attention it brought her, and she’s thinking of leaving Wyoming for good, or at least during the harsh winters.  Reynolds writes, “She plans to spend this winter in a little apartment in Albuquerque, ‘doing research’ at the University of New Mexico. Her delight at the prospect is palpable.”

Another interesting quote pertaining to Proulx’s preference for solitude:

“I’ve often thought,” Proulx says, “that if you could have an unlimited library, if they would bring you any book you wanted when you asked, it would be all right to be in prison.”

But even if Wyoming is losing one illustrious writer, it’s gaining a couple of great ones next year.  Mike Shay of the Wyoming Arts Blog emailed to let me know about the coup the University of Wyoming has scored for the 2009-2010 academic year—the university’s Eminent Writers in Residence will be Philip Gourevitch for nonfiction and Edward P. Jones for fiction.  Gourevitch is the editor of the Paris Review, writes for the New Yorker, and is best known for his book about the Rwandan genocide, We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories From Rwanda.  Edward P. Jones won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Known World and has also won about every other prize, including a MacArthur Fellowship.

Jones is one of my very favorite writers—I get so excited when I see a new story of his in The New Yorker that I put off reading it until I can have some uninterrupted time to savor it.  The folks enrolled in the Creative Writing program in Laramie next year are some lucky ducks.  It makes me want to go back to school…

But instead I’ll be having baby number two any day now.  I’ll keep posting until the kid makes his entrance, and then I’ll be taking a couple of months off while David Frey, a frequent Books & Writers page contributor, takes over things here.  Please if you have any regional literary news or events to share.

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.