-
Get a Free Issue
of our Ezine!
Author Biography | Interview | Books by this Author | Read-Alikes
Tony Hillerman, author of many novels including the Leaphorn/Chee mystery
series, died in October 2008 at the age of 83.
A past president of the Mystery Writers of America and recipient of their Edgar and Grand Master Awards,
his other honors include the
Center for the American Indian's Ambassador Award, the Silver Spur Award for the
best novel set in the West, the Navajo Tribe's Special Friend Award, the
National Media Award from the American Anthropological Association, the Public
Service Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Nero Wolfe Award,
the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oklahoma Center for the Book, an
honorary life membership in the Western Literature Association, and the Grand
Prix de Littérature Policiére.
In addition to his election to Phi Beta
Kappa, Tony Hillerman was named Doctor of Humane Letters at Arizona State
University and at Oregon's Portland State University.
He lived with his wife, Marie, in Albuquerque, New Mexico up until his death.
He is survived by Marie and six children.
This bio was last updated on 10/27/2008. In a perfect world, we would like to keep all of BookBrowse's biographies up to date, but with many thousands of lives to keep track of it's simply impossible to do. So, if the date of this bio is not recent, you may wish to do an internet search for a more current source, such as the author's website or social media presence. If you are the author or publisher and would like us to update this biography, send the complete text and we will replace the old with the new.
In your novels, how are elements of Navajo cultural lore
woven into the mystery plot?
I always have one or two, sometimes more,
Navajo (or other tribes') cultural elements in mind when I start a plot.
Sometimes some of them don't work or fade out. In Thief of Time, for
example, I wanted to make readers aware of Navajo attitude toward the dead,
respect for burial sites, etc.
What part does setting play?
I always try to make the setting fit the story I have in mind. In
Hunting Badger, for example, I needed an abandoned mine shaft on the
margins of the Navajo-Southern Ute territories because I wanted to revive
memories of the troubles between those two tribes and the legend of a Ute
warrior who raided the Navajos and how he was finally disposed of. I got a
lot of help from the U.S. Geological Survey on that one, and spent a lot of
time driving over very bad roads on the Arizona-Utah borders. I have always
felt that making the reader away of the vast emptiness of our high desert is
important to making the story work.
What are the origins of your beloved characters, Leaphorn and Chee?
Leaphorn began in my first novel effort (The Blessing Way) ...
Nevada Barr is an award-winning novelist and New York Times best-selling author. She has a growing number of Anna Pigeon mysteries to her credit as well as numerous other books, short stories, and articles. She currently ... (more)
If you enjoyed:
Hunting Badger
Try:
Blood Lure
by Nevada Barr
C. J. Box is the author of thirty books, including the Joe Pickett series and the Cassie Dewell series, and a story collection. His books have been translated into twenty-seven languages. He has won the Edgar, Anthony, ... (more)
If you enjoyed:
The First Eagle
Try:
Winterkill: A Joe Pickett Novel
by C.J. Box
We recommend 18 similar authors
.gif)
The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl
by Bart Yates
A saga spanning 12 significant days across nearly 100 years in the life of a single man.
.png)
Smothermoss by Alisa Alering
A haunting, imaginative, and twisting tale of two sisters and the menacing, unexplained forces that threaten them and their rural mountain community.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
