American Book Awards
2 appearances
-
Edition 9 (1988) Winner
-
Edition 32 (2011) Winner
Gerald Vizenor
ジェラルド・ヴィゼナー
Gerald Vizenor
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1934 （Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.）
- Nationality
- White Earth Band of Ojibwe, United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Minneapolis (early life) → White Earth Reservation (part of childhood) → Berkeley, California (academic posts) → New Mexico (University of New Mexico faculty)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Literary critic, Professor, Ethnographer, Journalist
- Active Years
- 1953-
- Affiliations
- University of California, Berkeley (Professor Emeritus), University of New Mexico (Professor of American Studies), Bemidji State University (established Native American Studies program)
- Influenced By
- Jacques Derrida, Jean Baudrillard
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York University | — | — | — | — | United States |
| Harvard University (postgraduate study) | — | — | — | — | United States |
| University of Minnesota (graduate study and teaching) | — | — | — | — | United States |
New York University
Country:
United States
Completed undergraduate studies using the G.I. Bill
Harvard University (postgraduate study)
Country:
United States
Postgraduate study; details not specified
University of Minnesota (graduate study and teaching)
Country:
United States
Undertook graduate study and did some graduate teaching
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Film-in-the-Cities Award (Sundance Festival) | — | — | Sundance Festival | winner |
| 1984 | Best American Indian Film (San Francisco Film Festival) | — | — | San Francisco Film Festival | winner |
| 1986 | New York Fiction Collective Award | — | — | New York Fiction Collective | winner |
| 1988 | American Book Award | — | — | Before Columbus Foundation | winner |
| 1989 | Artists Fellowship in Literature | — | — | California Arts Council | recipient |
| 1990 | PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award | — | — | PEN Oakland | winner |
| 1996 | PEN Excellence Award | — | — | International PEN | recipient |
| 2001 | Lifetime Achievement Award (Native Writers' Circle of the Americas) | — | — | Native Writers' Circle of the Americas | recipient |
| 2005 | Distinguished Achievement Award (Western Literature Association) | — | — | Western Literature Association | recipient |
| 2011 | American Book Award | Shrouds of White Earth | — | Before Columbus Foundation | winner |
| 2011 | MELUS Lifetime Achievement Award | — | — | MELUS (The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States) | recipient |
| 2020 | Paul Bartlett Ré Peace Prize (Lifetime Achievement) | — | — | Paul Bartlett Ré | recipient |
| 2021 | Honorary Curator (American Haiku Archives) | — | — | American Haiku Archives | appointed |
Film-in-the-Cities Award (Sundance Festival)
1983
Organization:
Sundance Festival
Result:
winner
Best American Indian Film (San Francisco Film Festival)
1984
Organization:
San Francisco Film Festival
Result:
winner
New York Fiction Collective Award
1986
Organization:
New York Fiction Collective
Result:
winner
American Book Award
1988
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
winner
Artists Fellowship in Literature
1989
Organization:
California Arts Council
Result:
recipient
PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
1990
Organization:
PEN Oakland
Result:
winner
PEN Excellence Award
1996
Organization:
International PEN
Result:
recipient
Lifetime Achievement Award (Native Writers' Circle of the Americas)
2001
Organization:
Native Writers' Circle of the Americas
Result:
recipient
Distinguished Achievement Award (Western Literature Association)
2005
Organization:
Western Literature Association
Result:
recipient
American Book Award
2011
Work:
Shrouds of White Earth
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
winner
MELUS Lifetime Achievement Award
2011
Organization:
MELUS (The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States)
Result:
recipient
Paul Bartlett Ré Peace Prize (Lifetime Achievement)
2020
Organization:
Paul Bartlett Ré
Result:
recipient
Honorary Curator (American Haiku Archives)
2021
Organization:
American Haiku Archives
Result:
appointed
Awards & Nominations
PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
3 appearances
-
Edition 1 (1991) Winner
-
Edition 6 (1996) Winner
-
Edition 26 (2016) Winner
Works
Major Works
Manifest Manners: Postindian Warriors of Survivance
1993 Non-fiction, cultural criticismManifest Manners analyzes the semiotics of Indianness and introduces the concept of 'survivance' as a form of presence and resistance rather than mere survival.
survivancecolonialism critiqueidentity and naming
Bearheart / Darkness in Saint Louis Bearheart (revised as Bearheart: The Heirship Chronicles)
1978 Fiction, postmodern novelA large-scale novel incorporating tribal narrative and trickster elements, reconstructing Native and American stories through postmodern techniques.
tricksterhistory-fiction hybriditycultural renewal and identity
Hiroshima Bugi: Atomu 57
2004 Fiction (described by author as a 'kabuki' novel)A work engaging Hiroshima and the author's experiences in occupied Japan; an experimental novel the author called a 'kabuki' novel.
war and memorytranscultural encountersinfluence of poetic forms (haiku)
Interior Landscapes: Autobiographical Myths and Metaphors
1990 Autobiographical essaysA shorter collection mixing autobiographical elements and mythic metaphors recounting the author's upbringing and cultural experiences.
memorymixed descent and identitypolitics of storytelling
Bibliography
- Blue Ravens
- Shrouds of White Earth
- Father Meme
- Hiroshima Bugi: Atomu 57
- Chancers
- Hotline Healers: An Almost Browne Novel
- Bearheart: The Heirship Chronicles
- The Heirs of Columbus
- Griever: An American Monkey King in China
- Earthdivers: Tribal Narratives on Mixed Descent
- Landfill Meditation: Crossblood Stories
- Dead Voices: Natural Agonies in the New World
- Manifest Manners: Postindian Warriors of Survivance
- Fugitive Poses: Native American Indian Scenes of Absence and Presence
- Native Liberty: Natural Reason and Cultural Survivance
Translations of Works
- Quasi en Terra (Catalan translation of Almost Ashore)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Postmodern narrative techniquesFragmentary and montage structuresTrickster humor and dark comedy
- Recurring Motifs
- trickstersurvivancecrossblood/mixed descentmemory and absence
Legacy
Gerald Vizenor is a major figure in Native American criticism and fiction, introducing concepts such as 'survivance' and influencing both scholarly and literary fields. He has received multiple lifetime achievement awards and is regarded as a central figure in Native American literary studies.
Archives
- Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (Gerald Robert Vizenor Papers)
Quotes
-
'Survivance' is not mere survival but a concept indicating resistance and a continuing process.
Source: Manifest Manners (work/concept) (1993)
Trivia
- Popularized the neologism 'survivance'.
- At age 15 he lied about his age to enter the Minnesota National Guard.
- Served in occupied Japan and encountered haiku, an influence on his poetic practice.