Sherman Alexie: YA Profile

Sherman Alexie: YA Author Profile

Sherman Alexie was born near Spokane, Washington in 1966. He grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation and is a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Native American. Alexie graduated from high school in 1985 and attended Gonzaga University in Spokane before transferring to pre-med at Washington State University. After realizing he did not want to become a doctor, Alexie was encouraged to follow a path in creative writing. He received a B.A. in American Studies from WSU. He was 23 when he published his first collection of poems and has since become one of the most well known contemporary Native American authors in the United States and Canada. He currently lives in Seattle, WA with his family.

Sherman Alexie is best known for his works of poetry, short fiction and novels. He received the Washington State Arts Commission Poetry Fellowship in 1991 and the National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship in 1992. He has published over 20 books of poetry and fiction. His work is also featured in dozens of anthologies including The Longman Anthology of Poetry and The Norton Anthology of American Literature. His first published work was The Business of Fancy Dancing, a collection of poetry, in 1991. He is best known for his collection of short stories, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, (1997). Although Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007), is considered his first young adult work, many of his other works are considered cross-over works that may appeal to both adults and young adults. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven is one of those works; the collection of stories revolves around two young men, Thomas Builds-the-fire and Victor Joseph, as they experience a personal journey through pain, death, and healing. Reservation Blues has also been used as a classroom resource to introduce young adults to Native American literature. His works are internationally known and have been translated into over 10 other languages. His most recent publication is a collection of poetry titled Face, Small Press Distribution's best selling poetry book of 2009.

Sherman Alexie’s works have been widely accepted and he has won numerous awards nationally and internationally. In 1996 Alexie was cited as one of the “Twenty Best American Novelists Under the Age of 40” by Granta Magazine. His book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature in 2007 and has received over 20 other nominations and awards from organizations such as the New York and LA Times and the ALA. He is a New York Times Bestseller and his book Reservation Blues (1994) won the Before Columbus Foundation's American Book Award. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (1993) received a Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award. Other recent awards include the 2010 PEN / Faulkner Award for Fiction for War Dances; the 2009 ALA Odyssey Award for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian audio book; the 2009 Mason Award; and a 2008 Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award. Alexie has also received two honorary degrees from Seattle University and Columbia College, Chicago.

Sherman Alexie’s works are primarily autobiographical; he bases his poetry and fiction on his experiences being a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Native American. He also draws inspiration from his life growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. His writing holds elements of traditional Native American storytelling and incorporates both traditional and contemporary aspects of Native American culture. He often critiques the relationships between non-Natives and Native Americans as a reflection of his experiences. A recurrent theme in his literature is the critique of the image that has been created for Native Americans by non-Natives, especially since the existence of Hollywood productions featuring Native Americans. One way in which his writing is unique is that he does not present Native American culture as something that is becoming extinct but as something that is growing and changing just like the rest of the world. His writing aims to give a contemporary perspective on Native American ways of life. Humor is an important aspect in Alexie’s writing and he often intertwines deep complexities with the light heartedness of humor. He also uses magic realism to give spirit to his writing; this is seen in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven where Thomas Builds-The-Fire, the quirky and puzzling friend of Victor, is a real life storyteller, prophet, and spiritual healer. Alexie’s writing is not only engaging, humorous and original it is thought provoking and enlightening to those who may not know a lot about life on a reservation or being a person of Native American origin.

Sherman Alexie often experiments with mediums other than print. He is well known for his film Smoke Signals (1998), based off one of the stories in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. This film won the American Indian Film Award for Best Film and the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award. He is also known for his film The Business of Fancydancing, which he both wrote and directed. Alexie has been involved in the creation of music based on his writing; his songs can be found on the motion picture soundtracks of Smoke Signals and The Business of Fancydancing as well as in a collaborative production with Tim Boyd called Reservation Blues (1995). Alexie has also written many articles for various publications including Time and Aboriginal Voices. These articles are primarily about Alexie’s perspective on contemporary issues faced by Native Americans. He also writes about reading, writing, current political issues, and reviews of other works. In addition, Alexie takes a live approach to his humor and has participated in several stand-up comedy events such as the Vancouver International Comedy Festival. Sherman Alexie’s successful career is based on his unique perspectives, his diversity of interests, and his drive to educate people of all ages and races. His voice is an important contribution to all classifications of literature and is enjoyed by a wide variety of readers nationally and internationally.