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Louise Erdrich (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)

Biography

Although born in Minnesota, Louise Erdrich grew up in Wahpeton, a small town in southeastern North Dakota, just across the Red River from her native state. Her father, Ralph Erdrich, was a German immigrant who taught in the Wahpeton Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school. Her mother, Rita Journeau Erdrich, a three-quarters Chippewa Indian, also worked at the school. Erdrich was the oldest of seven children. Her parents encouraged Louise's interest in writing by paying her a nickel for each of her stories and binding them in homemade book form.

Erdrich's...

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