Dream Drawings - by N Scott Momaday (Paperback)

About the Book

"From Pulitzer Prize winner and celebrated American master N. Scott Momaday, a collection of 100 new prose poems, rooted in Native American oral tradition, along with 5-7 pieces of art by the author"--

Book Synopsis

"[Momaday] must be ranked among the greatest of our contemporary writers."--American Scholar

"Momaday's poems are rich with description, lush with dreaming, and filled with magic." -- Library Journal (starred review)

From Pulitzer Prize winner and revered literary master N. Scott Momaday, a beautiful and enchanting new poetry collection, at once a celebration of language, imagination, and the human spirit.

"Language and the imagination work hand in hand, and together they enable us to reveal us to ourselves in story. That is indeed a magical process. . . . We imagine and we dream, and we translate our dreams into language." --from the Preface

A singular voice in American letters, Momaday's love of language and storytelling are on full display in this brilliant new collection comprising one hundred sketches or "dream drawings"--furnishings of the mind--as he calls them. Influenced by his Native American heritage and its oral storytelling traditions, here are prose poems about nature, animals, warriors, and hunters, as well as meditations that explore themes of love, loss, time, and memory. Each piece, full of wisdom and wonder, showcases Momaday's extraordinary lyrical talent, the breadth of his imagination, and the transformative power of his writing. Dream Drawings is also illustrated with a selection of black-and-white paintings by Momaday that capture the spirit of his prose.

Poignant, inspired, and timeless, this is a collection that will nourish the soul.

Review Quotes

"Dazzling." - Esquire on Earth Keeper
"Earth Keeper is a prayer for continuity in these days of uncertainty. I cannot tell you why I loved this book, I can only tell you I wept my way through it." - Terry Tempest Williams on Earth Keeper
"These are the poems of a master poet. . . . Or should I say, these are the poems of a bear who has walked through several generations and stands before us, breathing clouds into a cold dawn, bearing this book of poetry. . . . When you read these poems, you will learn to hear deeply the sound a soul makes as it sings about the mystery of dreaming and becoming." - U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo on The Death of Sitting Bear
"[Momaday] is at root a storyteller who both preserves and expands Native American culture in his critically praised, transformative writing." - Henry Louis Gates Jr
"The 100 poems and short sketches . . . are as simple and complex as our collective existence. . . . Each is a small gem, a glass seed that is part of the pattern on a piece of Native beadwork: By itself it has its own character and texture, its own beauty and completeness. Woven or sewn into the pattern created by the artist, the individual beads together anchor the art and become the design that tells the larger story." - Minneapolis Star Tribune
"The iconic Kiowa writer. . . [draws] deeply from dreams, fantasies, personal remembrance, and the wellspring of Native American spirituality to dissolve distinctions between the real and the surreal. . . . Bite-size snacks for the metaphysical appetite." - Kirkus
"In many ways, to read Momaday is to read the land. It is to encounter the earth alive with wind and sunlight, with plants and animals, and to know all of it--each aspect of the world--by name. It is also to renew a reverence for beauty and a feeling of hope." - Stanford Magazine
"We couldn't imagine a better soundtrack for a thoughtful weekend walk down whatever dream-like springtime trails you might have at hand." - Paste Magazine (on the audiobook of Dream Drawings)
"Add another entry of mystical lyrics to the still-expanding oeuvre of prolific Kiowa folklorist, novelist, and illustrator Momaday. . . . The book's long view and even pace bring out the best insights of this octogenarian's flourishing career." - Booklist
"A collection that celebrates language, invention, humanity, and the natural world." - Publishers Weekly
"Momaday's poems are rich with description, lush with dreaming, and filled with magic. Essential for Indigenous collections and highly recommended for poetry lovers generally." - Library Journal (starred review)