First published 1974
Frederick Manfred opens up about his journey as a novelist in this collection of interviews. The Minnesota-born author reflects on his transformation from Frederick Feikema to Frederick Manfred, sharing insights about his creative process and the stories that shaped his career. He discusses his passion for chronicling the American Midwest, particularly the Siouxland region that became central to his fiction. Manfred reveals how his experiences growing up on the prairie influenced his writing, from his early struggles to find his voice to his development of the Buckskin Man Tales. The conversations explore his relationships with other writers, his views on regional literature, and his dedication to capturing the spirit of frontier America. Through these dialogues, readers encounter a writer committed to preserving the stories of ordinary people who built communities across the Great Plains.
Genres: biography, literature, literary-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, american, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: creative-process, found-family, regional-identity
Setting: Minnesota, Siouxland
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
169 pages · Paperback · Univ of Utah Pr