Tomson Highway

Tomson Highway is a prominent Indigenous Canadian author, playwright and musician who has shaped Canadian literature and theater since the 1980s. Writing in both English and Cree, he has created influential works that explore Indigenous experiences and cultural identity. His most acclaimed works include the plays "The Rez Sisters" and "Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing," both of which earned multiple awards including the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play. His 1998 novel "Kiss of the Fur Queen," based on personal experiences and his brother's death from AIDS, further established his reputation as a major literary voice. Born in 1951 in Manitoba to a caribou hunter father, Highway grew up speaking Cree as his first language and living according to traditional customs before attending residential school. His diverse artistic achievements include writing the libretto for the first Cree language opera, "The Journey or Pimooteewin." Highway's most recent work, "Permanent Astonishment: A Memoir" (2021), won the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction. The memoir chronicles his early life in the remote Subarctic region of Manitoba, adding to his substantial body of work spanning theater, fiction, and children's literature.

Readers value Highway's blending of Cree mythology with contemporary storytelling and his use of dark humor to address serious themes. Many highlight his theatrical background's influence on the vivid dialogue and scene-setting in his novels. Readers appreciate: - Complex portrayal of Indigenous life and traditions - Musical elements and rhythm in the writing - Use of both Cree and English languages - Strong character development - Effective balance of comedy and tragedy Common criticisms: - Challenging structure that can be hard to follow - Cultural references that some find inaccessible - Abrupt transitions between scenes/timelines - Untranslated Cree passages Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: Kiss of the Fur Queen - 4.1/5 (2,100+ ratings) The Rez Sisters - 3.9/5 (950+ ratings) Amazon: Kiss of the Fur Queen - 4.3/5 (80+ reviews) Several readers note the books require multiple readings to fully grasp the layered meanings and cultural nuances.

PLAYS The Rez Sisters (1986) A group of seven Indigenous women from a reservation journey to Toronto to participate in "The Biggest Bingo in the World."

Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing (1989) Seven men on a fictional Ojibway reserve grapple with identity and change as they attempt to establish a hockey team.

NOVELS Kiss of the Fur Queen (1998) Two Cree brothers navigate the impacts of their residential school experience while pursuing artistic careers in southern Canada.

MEMOIRS Permanent Astonishment (2021) A chronicle of Highway's early life in northern Manitoba, from his nomadic childhood to his years at residential school.

CHILDREN'S BOOKS Caribou Song (2001) A story of two children who follow the caribou herd with their family in Northern Manitoba, told in both Cree and English.

Dragonfly Kites (2002) Two brothers spend a summer in northern Manitoba flying dragonfly kites and exploring their surroundings.

Fox on the Ice (2003) A winter tale about two brothers experiencing a traditional family caribou hunt that turns dangerous.

Thomas King combines humor with deep cultural critique in his novels and short stories exploring Indigenous identity in North America. His works like "Green Grass, Running Water" and "The Back of the Turtle" weave traditional storytelling with contemporary issues in ways similar to Highway's approach.

Eden Robinson writes about Indigenous experiences in British Columbia with elements of magic realism and dark humor. Her Trickster trilogy and "Monkey Beach" deal with family relationships and cultural identity while incorporating supernatural elements from Indigenous mythology.

Richard Wagamese wrote intimate narratives about Indigenous characters dealing with personal trauma and cultural displacement in Canada. His novels "Indian Horse" and "Medicine Walk" explore themes of survival and healing that parallel Highway's work in "Kiss of the Fur Queen."

Marie Clements creates multi-disciplinary works that blend theatre, film, and Indigenous storytelling traditions. Her plays like "Burning Vision" and "The Unnatural and Accidental Women" address historical and contemporary Indigenous issues with theatrical innovation similar to Highway's plays.

Lee Maracle wrote about colonialism and Indigenous women's experiences through both fiction and non-fiction. Her works "Ravensong" and "I Am Woman" examine cultural conflict and survival with the same unflinching honesty found in Highway's writing.