- Paperback: 198 pages
- Publisher: University Press Of New England; New edition edition (Feb 10 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0819562491
- ISBN-13: 978-0819562494
- Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 13.2 x 1.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 204 g
- Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #411,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Stone Columbus, the famous explorer's heir and namesake, is a Mississippi bingo tycoon and radio talk show host; he's part Mayan, as, he claims, was Christopher Columbus. In 1992 Stone and his listeners establish Point Assinika, a chunk of the Northwest, as a sovereign Native American nation. Their goal is to make available the Mayan "healing genes," isolated by scientists, to save the world. But tribal robots, a kidnapping and a federal disinformation campaign imperil the new nation, in whose harbor stands a copper statue, the Trickster of Liberty. Writing with manic inventiveness, Vizenor ( Griever ) casts the story of Columbus's invasion of the New World as a lyrical trickster tale, full of twists, shamans and subversive humor. Although Vizenor, a mixed-blood Chippewa, punctures the Eurocentric worldview, much of the humor is strained, as in his caricature of Christopher Columbus as a romantic with an enormous, clubbed, twisted penis.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
"Columbus arises in tribal stories that heal with humor the world he wounded," Vizenor says in the epilog of his latest novel. Native American writers are making sure their voices are heard in the quincentenary examination of Columbus's voyage. Hot on the heels of Michael Doris and Louise Erdrich's The Crown of Columbus ( LJ 3/15/91) comes this totally different treatment of the same territory. "The Heirs of Columbus" presented in Vizenor's intriguing novel are described by their critics as a "ragtag group of rebellious, uneducated mixedbloods." The Heirs believe themselves to be the actual genetic heirs of * Christopher Columbus, whom they believe to be a crossblood himself, the result of Mayan exploration of Europe. As their part of the quincentenary celebrations, the Heirs create a sovereign tribal nation, honoring humor and common sense and dedicated to healing with genetic therapies. Vizenor tells the story with his unique blend of cuttingedge fiction and tribal myth, mixing the realistic and the fantastic. Recommended.
- Debbie Tucker, Cincinnati Technological Coll.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Debbie Tucker, Cincinnati Technological Coll.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Remarkably Bad!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Heirs of Columbus (Paperback)
I read this book for a college lit. class. I don't even know what to say, this is a waste of paper!!
1.0 out of 5 stars
What the hell?,
By
This review is from: The Heirs of Columbus (Paperback)
Yea this is a good book. Yea it makes a lot of sense too.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Po-Mo? Oh yeah, it's po-mo...,
By
This review is from: The Heirs of Columbus (Paperback)
... but it's also one of the most outstanding examples of Native American (American Indian, or "Indian," as Sherman Alexie calls himself) literature. Gerald Viezenor is a professor of literature at Berkeley, and his contribution to the Indian Lit scene is one of the least-known, most overlooked, and best-constructed books available in this growing field. While it hasn't shared the commercial success of Alexie's books - partly because not many people are AWARE of Viezenor's book, and partly because it is not your average "pick up and read it on the plane" sort of book - "The Heirs of Columbus' is one of the most original novels in years, Indian or otherwise.The "action" centers around one Stone Columbus, Native American captain of the Santa Maria Casino. Every year, he and the other descendents of Columbus (who actually descended from Jewish Indians who immigrated to the 'Old' World) get together and tell tales, and what follows is the result. It would ruin the book to discuss it too much plot-wise, but it's Viezenor's constructs that really set "The Heirs of Columbus" apart. Indian literature was the first to really mess around with notions of time, narrative, history, and place, all of which have become staples of the po-mo establishment (how's THAT for an oxymoron). Viezenor almost seems to thumb his nose at the anti-establishment that has now become the trendy establishment, tongue firmly in cheek, saying both that "we Indians thought of it FIRST" and "you don't do it RIGHT, let me show you HOW." It's a nice change of pace from the usual blah-blah that most po-mo writers seem to think anyone with a latte will lap up. The only fault is that "Heirs of Columbus" references a LOT of things that those unfamiliar with Native American culture (indeed, most non-Indians) simply won't understand. Furthermore, Viezenor offers little to no explanation of what these things are, and almost taunts the non-Indian reader with the deluge of them. It violates one of the cardinal rules of literature - that you don't have to explain everything as you go, and that it should be, at least somewhat, universal no matter what culture the reader comes from. But that doesn't detract from the book's overall beauty and fun. If you're interested in Indian literature, "The Heirs of Columbus" is indispensable for your reading list and collection.
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