- Hardcover: 96 pages
- Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (Feb 15 1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312199694
- ISBN-13: 978-0312199692
- Product Dimensions: 20.1 x 13.5 x 1.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 249 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Kirkus Reviews
The Pulitzer-winning novelist (House Made of Dawn, 1969) offers this mixed media collageforty paintings, a dialogue, twenty or so poems, and two poetic prose sectionsall on the subject of the bear (or Bear), an animal of cosmic and spiritual significance among Momadays Kiowa Indians. Momadays blend of biblical and Native American spirituality and language seems almost old-fashioned in light of the more separatist studies that have dominated since he first arrived on the scene back in the 60s. In fact, his traditional verse forms and expressive clarity will remind us of his tutelage under Yvor Winters, and Janet Lewis (to whom this volume is dedicated). The longish, eight-part dialogue between Yahweh (or Great Mystery) and Urset (the primal Bear) covers issues of essence and nature, dreaming and storytelling, time and evolution. Momaday reshapes Christian and Kiowa myth into a witty and plain-spoken cosmic exchange, and provides a perfect gloss to the seemingly simple poems that follow. Momadays clean and sharp measures enhance a number of well-made poems that date mostly from recent times, but include a stunning portrait of a bear first written in 1963. The Blind Astrologers captures the dual essence of Bear as mythic and mundane; To An Aged Bear encourages a bear to prepare for his spirit journey after death; The Print of the Paw understands the bears mark as a wondrous thing, the imprint suggesting a grand whole; and a few rhymed couplets and quatrains perfectly describe the bears grandeur in life and art. The bold brushstrokes of Momadays paintings echo the power and precision of his poetry and prose. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
"The bold brushstrokes of Momaday's paintings echo the power and precision of his poetry and prose."—Kirkus Reviews
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
Undefined space. Two chairs under a light, perhaps a street lamp or a Chinese lantern in a tree. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Undefined space. Two chairs under a light, perhaps a street lamp or a Chinese lantern in a tree. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thought provoking work of beauty,
This review is from: In the Bear's House (Hardcover)
This book presents Momaday's work--new and old--concerned with Bear and the idea of wilderness. It offers poetry, drama, and painting all centered on Bear as a representation of the wilderness. Momaday's idea of the wilderness reflects neither the central strand in American life that comes down from the Puritans, nor the preservationist ideology of urban-bound environmentalists, but his writing critically reflects upon both these traditions. Momaday finds Bear, and hence the wilderness, in a conversation between God and the original bear while eating huckleberries, on a train in Moscow, in the drawing for a bronze statue, and many other such places. Throughout this book, the author's life-long concern for the life of the imagination as our best existence (as he has often said) shows forth. This book is an excellent introduction to the work of a great American writer, as well as a beautiful addition to any collection already well-stocked with Momaday's work.I taught this book as the first in a sequence of five books in a course on Native American poetry. The students loved it. Some of our discussions of the paintings were among the best my classes have had.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant,
By A Customer
This review is from: In the Bear's House (Hardcover)
Brilliant, moving, insightful, memorable. Momaday is a treasure, and this is his best yet.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews) 20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thought provoking work of beauty,
By James Stripes - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: In the Bear's House (Hardcover)
This book presents Momaday's work--new and old--concerned with Bear and the idea of wilderness. It offers poetry, drama, and painting all centered on Bear as a representation of the wilderness. Momaday's idea of the wilderness reflects neither the central strand in American life that comes down from the Puritans, nor the preservationist ideology of urban-bound environmentalists, but his writing critically reflects upon both these traditions. Momaday finds Bear, and hence the wilderness, in a conversation between God and the original bear while eating huckleberries, on a train in Moscow, in the drawing for a bronze statue, and many other such places. Throughout this book, the author's life-long concern for the life of the imagination as our best existence (as he has often said) shows forth. This book is an excellent introduction to the work of a great American writer, as well as a beautiful addition to any collection already well-stocked with Momaday's work.I taught this book as the first in a sequence of five books in a course on Native American poetry. The students loved it. Some of our discussions of the paintings were among the best my classes have had. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
In the Wilderness,
By pBird - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: In the Bear's House (Paperback)
Momaday's IN THE BEAR'S HOUSE contains a dramatic dialogue, varied poems and some prose passages. The book also includes many of Momaday's unique paintings and illustrations--all variations of Bear, the elusive wilderness that Momaday describes and explores through his thoughtful introduction, poetry and prose.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful Book of Mostly Great Content,
By Wildness - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: In the Bear's House (Hardcover)
N. Scott Momaday's *In the Bear's House* is an interesting mix of Momaday paintings, poetry, prose, and dialogues. N. Scott Momaday's bear paintings that adorn this book throughout are worth the price of admission on this book alone. From simple single color outlines to rich, colorful interpretations, the artwork will bring you back to this book over and over again. The poetry and prose about bears and their representation of wilderness and all things wild is simple, elegant, and expressive.What I didn't care much for and why I give only 4 stars as a rating is the dialogues that dominate the first half of the book. These dialogues are between Bear and God, and frankly I found them a bit tedious and pointless. I was hoping for a much more meaningful exploration of God and his/her/its role in the world - specifically the wilderness. Instead, these conversations with God seem to meander into a wilderness of their own, getting lost along the way. >>>>>>><<<<<<< A Guide to my Book Rating System: 1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper. 2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead. 3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted. 4 stars = Good book, but not life altering. 5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way. |
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