Document Type

Book

Publication Date

2005

Abstract

Between spoonfuls of posole at the Morning Glory Cafe in Flagstaff, Arizona, Gary Paul Nabhan mused about the distinctive character of western American literature. “What is western literature about?” I asked him. Without hesitation, he replied, “It is about a process of disorientation and reorientation.” The mountains, sand dunes, and canyons of the western landscape govern western imagination. That landscape, he believes, is responsible for the dis- and reorientation that characterizes the work of many western writers. Nabhan continued, “I should say that in an odd way, that’s even true of Native American literature [....] Leslie Silko writes about the process of reorientation.” Nabhan looked around the small diner, decorated with local art and furnished with an antique stove used as a buffet for the fresh salsa and chips. The chalkboard menu reflected the best of locally grown food made to serve mouth-watering recipes from Mexico and the Middle East. Nabhan took another bite of his posole, swallowed thoughtfully, and reflected on the tradition of immigrant literature in the west: “The pioneer mentality only captures a portion of the distinctiveness of the west. Whether it was Europeans coming to dry lands from more humid areas, or Mexicans coming northward, those who arrived in the west were amazed by how much the landscape dominates our very concepts” (Woods).

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