The Heirs of Columbus (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Gerald R. Vizenor
- First Published: 1991
- Type of Work: Novel
- Genres: Short fiction
- Subjects: Tricksters, Native Americans or American Indians, Identity, South America or South Americans, Latin America or Latin Americans, Mayas, Exploration or explorers
Although Vizenor and his publisher call The Heirs of Columbus a novel, it takes an act of faith to accept it as such. The book, an occasional piece written to mark the quincentenary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World, is fanciful, taking great liberties with the facts that historians have unearthed. The concept of the book and the social problems it poses, which are similar to those on which Vizenor has often focused, are significant. Also important are his use of Native American mythology and his emphasis on the trickster tradition that is a fundamental part of...
[The entire page is 530 words long]
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