Hello Gentle Reader,
The Native American writer Tommy Orange has been named the new contributor to the Future Library Project for 2024. Tommy Orange’s invitation to contribute to the project follows other critically acclaimed and internationally renowned writers from around the globe:
2014 – Margaret Atwood, Canada
2015 – David Mitchell, United Kingdom
2016 – Sjon, Iceland
2017 – Ekif Shafak, Turkey (exile: United Kingdom)
2018 – Han Kang, (South) Korea
2019 – Karl Ove Knausgård, Norway
2020 – Ocean Vuong, United States of America
2021 – Tsitsi Dangarembga, Zimbabwe
2022 – Judith Schalansky, Germany
2023 – Valeria Luiselli, Mexico/United States of America
Recently longlisted for the Booker Prize with his sophomore novel “Wandering Stars,” Tommy Orange has made an impactful literary name for himself with only two novels to his name, the aforementioned “Wandering Stars,” and his debut “There There.” In the same trajectory as other Native American writers, Louis Edrich, Joy Harjo, N. Scott Momaday, and Thomas King, Tommy Orange explores the complexities of Native American identity and authenticity, history, loss of traditions and cultural values, in addition to the social issues of addiction, depression, and unemployment. “There There,” was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize, while winning the 2018 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2019 Hemmingway Foundation/PEN Award. “There There,” was praised by Margaret Atwood (who recommended Orange as a contributor) among others as a remarkable debut, showcasing Tommy Orange as a writer of not only social concern, but of literary execution and talent. “There There,” tackled the notion of Urban Indians through a chorus of twelve characters, who reckon with a complex and violent history and loss of identity and question the notion of authenticity. “Wandering Stars,” continued to explore the violent and sanitized history that Native Americans endured and suffered from during a push for assimilation, and have since been lost within.
In announcing Tommy Orange as the most recent contributor to the Future Library Project, Katie Paterson praised Orange’s writing being marked by an “exploration of identity, belonging, and intergenerational trauma, particularly within the context of Indigenous experiences.” Paterson theorizes that Orange’s work will resonate with readers of the coming century.
Tommy Orange’s induction as a contributor to the Future Library Project, shows the projects ranging literary tastes and treatments. Each writer spans generations, literary styles, languages, themes and concerns, and Orange is no different.
Take Care
And As Always
Stay Well Read
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