The Scorched-Wood People
by Rudy Wiebe
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""Sixteen years later Louis Riel would be dressing himself again ... to be hanged by his neck until he is at last, perfectly, dead. 0 my God have mercy."" So begins Rudy Wiebe's powerful portrayal of Louis Riel, the mystic revolutionary of the Northwest, and Gabriel Dumont - "the savage" as he calls himself - the great buffalo hunter who becomes Riel's commander-in-chief. With the same epic scope and inspired vision that he brought to "The Temptations of Big Bear" (winner of the Governor show more Generals Award for Fiction), Wiebe recreates an agonizing chapter in Canadian history which can never be forgotten -- the explosive world of the North West Rebellions and the characters of the two men who led them. Written with powerful clarity and compassion, "The Scorched-Wood People" is an immense achievement, a brilliant exploration of the faces of prophetic vision, the morality of politics and the nature of faith. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
In 1885 and 1886 Canada had it's first indian war since 1814. This interesting novel deals with two of its three components, the Cree Indians under Big Bear, and the Riel metis rebellion though the eyes of its general, Gabriel Dumont. It's written by a Canadian of Menonite (that's interesting; though treating the word Menonite as a spelling mistake, my word processor, even though set for Canadian English spelling, has no correct spelling!) training, and is a look at the native component of Canadian society. It's a complex vision, and while Dumont is an efficient soldier, he is denied the correct response to the Eastern Invasion by his religiously demented leader, Louis Riel.
It's a very readable book, and greatly deserves to be better show more known by Americans as well. show less
It's a very readable book, and greatly deserves to be better show more known by Americans as well. show less
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New Canadian Library
191 works; 7 members
Author Information
37+ Works 1,290 Members
A firm belief in the redemptive possibilities of history dominates Rudy Wiebe's fiction. His characters search for community, for a spiritual collective informed and strengthened by historical consciousness. This attempt to unite the present and the past stems from Wiebe's Mennonite religious background. Central to the Mennonite belief is the show more rejection of loyalty to contemporary and worldly government; personal commitment belongs, instead, to the religious community, with its hard-earned historical heritage as a nonconformist movement. Wiebe was born in a northern Saskatchewan farming community; in 1947 the family moved to Alberta, and he completed his education at the University of Alberta, where he teaches. Wiebe's first novel, Peace Shall Destroy Many (1962), addresses pacifism, a belief central to Mennonites. The novel's hero faces a moral quandary when forced to choose between religious convictions and Canadian nationalistic fervor during World War II. While The Blue Mountains of China (1970) records Mennonite history, The Temptations of Big Bear (1973) examines the destruction of Indian culture in white Canada, and The Scorched-Wood People (1977) takes up the plight of the Metis---those with mixed blood; all three novels focus on minorities who must struggle to maintain their sense of community. Ideas repugnant to the Mennonite sensibility, violence and self-destruction, figure in The Mad Trapper (1980), which recounts the hunt for a man whose isolation has driven him into madness. In 1980 Wiebe's short stories were collected in The Angel of the Tar Sands and Other Stories. Stylistically, Wiebe gives little ground to the reader, for his fiction is characterized by difficult dialects, a web of details, and a dense style. (Bowker Author Biography) Rudy Wiebe is the author of several short story collections and essays. He is also the author of eight novels, including A Discovery of Strangers and The Temptations of Big Bear, both winners of the Governor General's Award for Fiction. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta. (Publisher Provided) show less
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
New Canadian Library (156)
Common Knowledge
- People/Characters
- Louis Riel
- Important places
- Saskatchewan, Canada
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, General Fiction, Historical Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 813.5 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 1900-1999
- LCC
- PZ4 .W643 — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction in English
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 48
- Popularity
- 627,114
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.33)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
- 1
