John Joseph Mathews, Talking to the Moon

Ken Hada (East Central University)

Ed. by Padraig Kirwan, Goldsmiths College, University of London
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.6: Indigenous Writing and Culture of North America - United States.
Vol. editors: Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Sarah Henzi (Simon Fraser University), Padraig Kirwan (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1945

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Non-Fiction
- Autobiography (literary)

Resources

Talking to the Moon is an autobiographical portrait of John Joseph Mathews, covering a ten-year period beginning in 1932 of relative isolation on the northern Oklahoma prairie. Joseph, who was ⅛ Osage Native American, was educated at the University of Oklahoma and at Oxford. His educated, worldly awareness figures into his personal account of his life of seclusion, which is presented in implicit contrast to his work as a national diplomat on behalf of the Osage people, and even, to some degree, his life as a writer. Mathews was born in Indian Territory (before Oklahoma statehood) in 1895 – Osage Tribal Agency records say 1894 (Snyder 4). He died in 1979 having authored several books now considered significant in Native A…

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2636 words

Citation: Hada, Ken. "Talking to the Moon". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 August 2021 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=40544, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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