Sherman Alexie
Sherman Alexie ( born October 7, 1966; born as Sherman Alexie, Joseph, Jr.) is an award-winning Indian- American writer, poet, humorist and writer. He is descended from the tribes of the Spokane and Coeur d' Alene and grew up in Wellpinit on the Spokane Reservation, Washington. Today he lives with his wife and two sons in the city of Seattle in Washington (State). Sherman Alexie shows in his works relentlessly often bleak conditions in the reserves and the City Indians, often with black humor. In 2007, Alexie the National Book Award for Young People 's Literature for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.
Importance
Sherman Alexie is the most famous Indian writer of today and is one of the most important contemporary young writers of the United States. Some of his books have been translated into German: Rainmaker (1996 ), Reservation Blues ( 1997), Indian Killer ( 1998), Smoke Signals (1998), Rainmaker (1999), Salmon Hunter ( 2002), " The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian " ( 2009).
About himself he says: " I write about the kind of Indian I am. Kind of mixed up, kind of odd, not traditional I'm a rez kid who's gone urban" ( " I write about the kind of Indians who I am: . messed up, bizarre, non traditional I am a child of the reserve that has become urban ")..
Biography
Sherman Alexie was born on October 7, 1966. He grew up in Wellpinit on the Spokane Reservation in Washington. In his first year, he suffered from hydrocephalus ( water on the brain ). Him little chance of survival were granted. Due to the severity of the disease doctors feared that he would grow up with an intellectual disability. However, this did not happen, although showed various adverse reactions. His mother was later active in the presentation of cancer cases along a road with uranium transport in the reserve.
Even with three years Alexie learned to read. At the age of five he was reading entire novels ( John Steinbeck and others). Sherman Alexie went to Reardan High School, where he " was the only Indian besides the school mascot ." There he was one of the best students. In basketball team in high school he was one of the top- players. In 1985 Alexie to Gonzaga University in Spokane. In the time in which he attended the Gonzaga University in Spokane, he was alcoholic. Two years later he went to the Washington State University ( WSU ) in Pullman, Washington.
At Washington State University ( WSU ), he studied medicine. But in the anatomy he was too subtle way and so he joined the study ( English Literature ). A poem workshop brought him to write. They soon became aware of his talent and he received national scholarships. A year after he left the University published his first two books of poetry: " The Business of Fancydancing " and " I Would Steal Horses". As the publisher "Hanging Loose Press," told him that " The Business of Fancydancing " should be published, he radically changed his life. He ended an almost six-year period of alcohol addiction. Since then, Alexie is dry.
1993 published his short stories "The Lone Ranger and Tonto fistfight in Heaven". For this he received several awards. His first novel, "Reservation Blues" came out two years later. For him he was was awarded the " Granta 's Best of Young American Novelists ", the "Before Columbus Foundation 's American Book Award " and the " Murray Morgan Prize". The 1996 released thriller "Indian Killer" was performed on the ranked top in the "People's Best of Pages" and "New York Times Notable Book."
1997 began the preparatory work for the film " Smoke Signals ," which was based on a short story from the book " The Lone Ranger and Tonto fistfight in Heaven": "This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona ". Co-producer was Chris Eyre, a Cheyenne - Arapaho. Under the name " Smoke Signals ," the film premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival in Toronto and won several awards. " Smoke Signals " came next in cinemas worldwide. Since 1998, Alexie takes part in poetry competitions and comedy festivals, in which he usually wins awards.
For his young adult novel "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian " he received, for example, in the USA the prestigious National Book Award for Best Book of the Year and Youth in Sweden the Peter Pan price.
Sherman Alexie lives with his wife, who is also of Indian descent, and his two sons in Seattle.
Works
Poetry collections
Brief history collections, novels, screenplays
Movies
- 49? , Screenplay by Sherman Alexie, 2003
- The Business of Fancydancing, screenplay by Sherman Alexie, 2003
- Based on one of his short stories ("This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona " ), which in Lone Ranger and Tonto: fistfight was posted in Heaven, the movie Smoke Signals, the first film which was made exclusively by Indians was made,. June 1999. It is also available in a German version.