Joseph Boyden explore les thèmes de l'héritage et de la culture des Premières Nations, puisant dans ses racines irlandaises, écossaises et métisses. Sa prose aborde souvent l'interaction complexe entre tradition et modernité, examinant les impacts de l'histoire sur la vie contemporaine. Le style de Boyden se caractérise par une atmosphère forte et un aperçu profond de la psychologie des personnages. Ses œuvres sont appréciées pour leur représentation authentique et leur puissance narrative.
1919. Nord de l’Ontario. Niska, une vieille Indienne, attend sur un quai de gare le retour d’Elijah, un soldat qui a survécu à la guerre. À sa grande surprise, l’homme qui descend du train est son neveu Xavier qu’elle croyait mort, ou plutôt son ombre, méconnaissable. Pendant trois jours, à bord du canoë qui les ramène chez eux, et tandis que sa tante essaie de le maintenir en vie, Xavier revit les heures sombres de son passé : l’engagement dans l’armée canadienne avec Elijah, son meilleur ami, et l’enfer des champs de bataille en France…
A haunting novel about identity, love, and loss by the author of Three Day Road Will Bird is a legendary Cree bush pilot, now lying in a coma in a hospital in his hometown of Moose Factory, Ontario. His niece Annie Bird, beautiful and self-reliant, has returned from her own perilous journey to sit beside his bed. Broken in different ways, the two take silent communion in their unspoken kinship, and the story that unfolds is rife with heartbreak, fierce love, ancient blood feuds, mysterious disappearances, fires, plane crashes, murders, and the bonds that hold a family, and a people, together. As Will and Annie reveal their secrets-the tragic betrayal that cost Will his family, Annie's desperate search for her missing sister, the famous model Suzanne-a remarkable saga of resilience and destiny takes shape. From the dangerous bush country of upper Canada to the drug-fueled glamour of the Manhattan club scene, Joseph Boyden tracks his characters with a keen eye for the telling detail and a rare empathy for the empty places concealed within the heart. Sure to appeal to readers of Louise Erdrich and Jim Harrison, Through Black Spruce establishes Boyden as a writer of startling originality and uncommon power.
The book captures Joseph Boyden's compelling inaugural Henry Kreisel Lecture at the University of Alberta, where he passionately draws parallels between the struggles of Aboriginal people in Canada and marginalized groups in post-Katrina New Orleans. His powerful manifesto calls for independence from oppressive North American governmental structures, resonating deeply with the audience and sparking significant acclaim. This thought-provoking discourse highlights themes of cultural identity, oppression, and the quest for autonomy.
From internationally acclaimed author Joseph Boyden comes a powerful novel about two native Canadian sisters and the forces that pull them apart. Fifteen years after the death of their patriarch, the Bird Clan finds itself struggling to survive on the hardscrabble reservation they call home. On Christmas Day, the youngest of the clan, Suzanne, leaves with her boyfriend Gus Netmaker, against both families' wishes, hoping to find purpose and a better life in Toronto. When word from Suzanne and Gus suddenly ceases, the Netmakers and Birds fear the worst and tensions between the two families escalate to violent levels. Suzanne's sister Annie decides to search for them, leaving behind their uncle Will, a man haunted by loss. While Annie travels from Toronto to New York, from modeling studios to A-list parties, Will encounters dire troubles at home. Both eventually come to painful discoveries about the inescapable ties of family.
Chanie Wenjack je indián z kmene Odžibvejů. Stejně jako nespočet jemu podobných kluků a holek byl v útlém věku odebrán rodičům a poslán na převýchovu do takzvané indiánské internátní školy stovky kilometrů od domova. Cizí prostředí školy a kruté zacházení ze strany učitelů vyhnalo Chanieho a jeho dva spolužáky jednoho pozdně říjnového odpoledne na útěk. Jejich snahu o návrat do ztraceného domova sledujeme nejen očima samotného Chanieho, ale také prostřednictvím manitou, kteří na sebe berou různé zvířecí podoby a doprovázejí chlapce na jejich strastiplné pouti.
