Host Gene Bradley speaks with Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author (and Pacific Northwest resident) Tim Egan. His new book SHORT NIGHTS OF THE SHADOW CATCHER: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis was selected as one of Publishers Weekly’s “Top 10 History Titles” for the fall.
Edward Curtis was dashing, charismatic, a passionate outdoorsman, and a famous photographer, but in 1900 he walked away from success in pursuit of a great idea: to document the Native American nation poised at the brink of the modern era. Over the next 30 years, Curtis produced 40,000 evocative photographs that recorded the lives and lands of more than 80 tribes. Although penniless at his death, Curtis left behind a legacy of iconic images that have since shaped our views and understanding of these complex cultures.
Timothy Egan comes from a family of nine, from a mother who loved books and a father with the Irish gift of finding joy in small things. He worked on a farm, in a factory, and at a fast-food outlet while muddling through nearly seven on-and-off years of college.
He is the author of seven books. His nonfiction account of the Dust Bowl, THE WORST HARD TIME, won the 2006 National Book Award, considered one of the nation’s highest literary honors, and he was featured prominently in the 2012 Ken Burns film on the Dust Bowl.
(Above, image of Tim Egan with Oscar Wilde, the statue, in Galway)