A Coyote Reader

Wily, raunchy and heroic; a trickster, lecher and supreme survivor. Such is the magical coyote, the mythical Native American figure whose various roles are recounted here in a selection of poetry and stories. Anthropological linguist William Bright brings together diverse portraits of the coyote from American Indian texts and modern American writing. Because Native American myths have been recited and transmitted orally, Bright addresses the special problem of converting them into written stories. The collection also contains poetic translations and original works by early American authors.