It is hard not to think of Nebraska without thinking of its greatest writer. Here is a marvelous piece by Capote, Remembering Willa Cather . I remember seeing a stage production of O Pioneers! and being deeply moved by its raw emotions. I had read My Antonia before, and soon found myself hooked, like Capote was by the simple elegance of her prose and the way she was able to evoke so many feelings through her characters. Much of it came from the fact that she had lived those experiences herself. Her father dragged the family from Virginia to Nebraska in 1883, when it was still a young state, settling in the town of Red Cloud. named after one of the great Oglala chiefs. Red Cloud was still alive at the time, living on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, in the aftermath of the "Great Sioux Wars" of 1876-77. I don't know whether Cather took any interest in the famous chief, although it is hard to imagine not. Upon his death in 1909, he was eulogi
You could always read Malcolm Lowry's "Under the Volcano." What a book, and a pretty good film as well. At least I seem to think the film was pretty good.
ReplyDeleteThey have a huge Day of the Dead parade here each year -- I've never attended, but from the photos in the paper the next day it's quite the scene.
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to read that book for a long time.
ReplyDeleteIt is quite a read. Not everyone's cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteHere, the dead even text:
ReplyDeletehttp://missoulian.com/day-of-the-dead/vmix_c9f729a4-2580-11e2-a358-001a4bcf887a.html