American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 1 (1980) Winner
Leslie Marmon Silko
レスリー・マーモン・シルコ
Resurī Māmon Shiruko
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1948-03-05 （Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States）
- Nationality
- American
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Edge of Laguna Pueblo reservation (New Mexico) — childhood → Tucson, Arizona, United States
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Educator, Filmmaker
- Active Years
- 1968-
- Influenced By
- Paula Gunn Allen, N. Scott Momaday, Gerald Vizenor
- Influenced
- Contemporary Native American writers (post–Native American Renaissance), College and university syllabi incorporating Native American perspectives (e.g., inclusion of Ceremony)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of New Mexico | College of Arts & Sciences (English Literature) | Department of English | BA | 1965–1969 | United States |
University of New Mexico
College of Arts & Sciences (English Literature)
/ Department of English
Degree:
BA
Period:
1965–1969
Year of Graduation:
1969
Country:
United States
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | MacArthur Fellowship | — | — | MacArthur Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1994 | Native Writers' Circle of the Americas Lifetime Achievement Award | — | — | Native Writers' Circle of the Americas | 受賞 |
| 2020 | Robert Kirsch Award (Los Angeles Times Book Prizes) | — | — | Los Angeles Times | 受賞 |
MacArthur Fellowship
1981
Organization:
MacArthur Foundation
Result:
受賞
Native Writers' Circle of the Americas Lifetime Achievement Award
1994
Organization:
Native Writers' Circle of the Americas
Result:
受賞
Robert Kirsch Award (Los Angeles Times Book Prizes)
2020
Organization:
Los Angeles Times
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Lannan Literary Awards
6 appearances
PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 11 (2001) Winner
Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 41 (2020) Winner
Works
Major Works
Ceremony
1977 NovelThe story of Tayo, a mixed Laguna-white WWII veteran returning to the Laguna Pueblo reservation and undergoing healing through Native ceremonies and storytelling, exploring identity and cultural survival.
HealingCultural identityWar traumaOral tradition
Storyteller
1981 Poetry and short stories (hybrid forms)A collection combining poems, short stories, mythology, and autobiographical pieces, employing storytelling techniques related to Ceremony.
StorytellingFamily historyLand and memory
Almanac of the Dead
1991 Novel (ambitious epic)A sprawling novel spanning the Americas that interweaves colonization, resistance, indigenous histories, and contemporary political movements in a large cast narrative.
Colonization and resistanceIndigenous historyEthnic solidarity
Laguna Woman (Poems)
1974 PoetryAn early collection of poems reflecting Laguna oral traditions and personal memories.
Oral traditionFamilyCulture
Gardens in the Dunes
1999 NovelA historical novel weaving feminism, slavery, conquest, and botany through the story of a young girl traveling in the American West and Europe.
FeminismColonial historyComing of age
The Turquoise Ledge: A Memoir
2010 Memoir / NonfictionA memoir exploring family histories (Laguna, Cherokee, Mexican, European), the natural world, environmentalism, suffering, and insight.
Family historyNature and environmentalismMemory and healing
Bibliography
- Laguna Woman: Poems (1974)
- Ceremony (1977)
- Storyteller (1981)
- Almanac of the Dead (1991)
- Sacred Water (1993/1994)
- Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit: Essays on Native American Life Today (1997)
- Gardens in the Dunes (1999)
- The Turquoise Ledge: A Memoir (2010)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Incorporation of Laguna oral storytelling techniquesHybrid structures blending poetic fragments and fiction
- Recurring Motifs
- Water and rainCeremony and ritualLand and natureMemory and tradition
Legacy
Leslie Marmon Silko is a key figure of the Native American Renaissance whose work fused oral tradition with contemporary fiction, expanding the scope of American literature. Ceremony remains a staple on college syllabi and an influential work in indigenous literatures.
Museums
- Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (Yale University) — Leslie Marmon Silko Papers New Haven, Connecticut (Yale University)
Academic Societies
- Native Writers' Circle of the Americas
Archives
- Leslie Marmon Silko Papers — Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University
In Popular Culture
- Inclusion of Ceremony in college and university syllabi, influencing literary education
Quotes
-
I am of mixed‑breed ancestry, but what I know is Laguna.
Source: Interview with Alan Velie (1995)
Trivia
- Early recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship in 1981.
- Received the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994.
- Awarded the Robert Kirsch Award (Los Angeles Times Book Prizes) in 2020.