A time that is gone forever

House Made of Dawn ~ by N. Scott Momaday, 1986, 2018, historical fiction, 224 pages

This is the 50th anniversary edition of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel from renowned Kiowa writer and poet N. Scott Momaday.  There's also a new preface by the author.

The time period covered by the novel is between July 1945 and February 1952.  A young Native American, Abel has come home from war to find himself caught between two worlds.  The first is the world of his grandfathers, wedding him to the rhythm of the seasons, the harsh beauty of the land, and the ancient rites and traditions of his people.  But the other world — modern, industrial America — pulls at Abel, demanding his loyalty, trying to claim his soul, and goading him into a destructive, compulsive cycle of depravity and despair.

This American classic is a tragic tale about the disabling effects of war and cultural separation, and also a hopeful story of a stranger in his native land, finding his way back to all that is familiar and sacred.

Earth Keeper: Reflections on the American Land ~ by N. Scott Momaday, 2020, nature musings, 80 pages

Momaday captures the spirit of of his native culture, offering the reader the experience of nature and beyond.  This book at once pays lyrical homage to the beauty of the living world and calls for our attention to keep it alive.  His words bring us back to the notion of forming a relationship with the land we are from.

The Way to Rainy Mountain ~ by N. Scott Momaday, illustrated by Al Momaday, 2019, Native American literature, 104 pages

This book recalls the journey of Tai-me, the sacred Sun Dance doll, and of Tai-me's people in three unique voices:  the legendary, the historical, and the contemporary.  It is also the personal journey of N. Scott Momaday, who on a pilgrimage to the grave of his Kiowa grandmother traversed the same route taken by his forebears and in so doing confronted his Kiowa heritage.  It is an evocation of three things in particular:

• a landscape that is incomparable,
• a time that is gone forever, 
• and the human spirit, which endures.  

Celebrating fifty years since its 1969 release, this new edition offers a moving new preface and invites a new generation of readers to explore the Kiowa myths, legends, and history.

These three books were delivered to me yesterday.  Put on your thinking cap so you can think of "a time that is gone forever," and leave a comment about whatever things you thought of.

N. Scott Momaday was born in 1934 in Lawton, Oklahoma.  He died at age 89 on January 24, 2024 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.