Ordinary Wolves

Seth Kantner

ISBN 10: 1571310479 / ISBN 13: 9781571310477

Published by Milkweed Editions, 2005

About this Item

In the tradition of Jack London, Seth Kantner presents an Alaska far removed from majestic clich s of exotic travelogues and picture postcards. Kantner's vivid and poetic prose lets readers experience Cutuk Hawcly's life on the Alaskan plains through the character's own words -- feeling the pliers pinch of cold and hunkering in an igloo in blinding blizzards. Always in Cutuk's mind are his father Ab; the legendary hunter Enuk Wolfglove, and the wolves -- all living out lives on the unforgiving tundra. Jeered and pummeled by native children because he is white, Cutuk becomes a marginal participant in village life, caught between cultures. After an accident for which he is responsible, he faces a decision that could radically change his life. Like his young hero, Seth Kantner grew up in a sod igloo in the Alaska, and his experiences of wearing mukluks before they were fashionable, eating boiled caribou pelvis, and communing with the native tribes add depth and power to this acclaimed narrative.

Seller Inventory # 00091996051

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Ordinary Wolves
• Publisher: Milkweed Editions
• Publication Date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1571310479
• ISBN 13: 9781571310477
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

In the tradition of Jack London, Seth Kantner presents an Alaska far removed from majestic clichés of exotic travelogues and picture postcards. Kantner’s vivid and poetic prose lets readers experience Cutuk Hawcly’s life on the Alaskan plains through the character’s own words — feeling the pliers pinch of cold and hunkering in an igloo in blinding blizzards. Always in Cutuk’s mind are his father Ab,; the legendary hunter Enuk Wolfglove, and the wolves — all living out lives on the unforgiving tundra. Jeered and pummeled by native children because he is white, Cutuk becomes a marginal participant in village life, caught between cultures. After an accident for which he is responsible, he faces a decision that could radically change his life. Like his young hero, Seth Kantner grew up in a sod igloo in the Alaska, and his experiences of wearing mukluks before they were fashionable, eating boiled caribou pelvis, and communing with the native tribes add depth and power to this acclaimed narrative.

About the Author

Seth Kantner trapper, fisherman, photographer, igloo-builder, and acclaimed author of Ordinary Wolves was born in a sod igloo on the Alaskan tundra and raised on the land, wearing mukluks before they were fashionable, eating boiled caribou pelvis, and trading and living with the Iñupiaq, the people native to the region. Kantner attended the University of Alaska and the University of Montana, where he received a B. A. in journalism. Kantner’s writings and photographs have appeared in Outside, Prairie Schooner, Alaska, and Reader’s Digest, among other anthologies and publications. His work and writing have earned him the Whiting Writers Award, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award, and the Milkweed National Fiction Prize among many others. He lives with his wife and daughter in northwest Alaska.