Friday, November 6, 2009

Hillerman Evening


Last evening I attended a tribute to the life of Albuquerque author, Tony Hillerman, who passed away just about one year ago. His daughter, Anne Hillerman, and son-in-law, photographer Don Strel, have just published a book celebrating the Southwest landscapes made memorable in Tony Hillerman's books. Everyone in attendance received a complimentary copy of this book, Tony Hillerman's Landscape.

Anne Hillerman, visiting with the crowd after her presentation

Tony Hillerman authored thirty-two books, including the 18-volume mystery series featuring Navajo police officers Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn. Anne Hillerman's book features photography of the landscape central to her father's novels, descriptive text from his works and his own comments about the land.

I've read six (or so) of the Chee/Leaphorn books, but after attending this wonderful tribute to Hillerman and his work, I'm inspired to go back and read all 18 of them, in order.

1 comment:

Papa John said...

Linda, I am a Hillerman fan! After we retired and moved "Outside", I began reading voraciously again, having more time on my hands than usual. Betty's brother suggested the Chee/Leaphorn series but I approached them cautiously because my reading habits had never included mysteries. With my love of the American southwest lands and cultures, to my delight the Hillerman books were an enormous hit with me. I have them all now, and several of his collections and non-fiction books too. His autobiography, Seldom Disappointed", is actually on top of my "read soon" stack.

What fun the memorial evening must have been. I'm going to be careful not to covet your book, but I already want one just like it for my collection. My plan is to someday revisit the series and reread the stories in order. The picture book you describe and a comprehensive map of of the region will be good companions on that journey.