Photo: Larry D. Moore / CC BY 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
What I admire most about Sherman Alexie is how he turned the specific ache of growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation into stories that travel everywhere. He never softens the hard edges, yet the humor underneath keeps you reading. Sweeping the National Book Award, the PEN/Faulkner, and the PEN/Malamud across fiction, poetry, and children's literature is not luck; it is range few writers ever achieve. I keep returning to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian because it speaks honestly to young readers without condescension. To me, he is one of the essential Indigenous American voices of his generation.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Sherman Alexie
- Name (Japanese)
- シャーマン・アレクシー
- Reading
- しゃーまん・あれくしー
- Born
- October 7, 1966 (age 59)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Libra / Horse
- Origin
- Wellpinit, Washington, United States
- Occupation
- screenwriter / film director / writer / poet / novelist
2. Background
- University
- Washington State University
Awards & achievements
- 2001 PEN/Malamud Award
- 1996 American Book Awards
- 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature
- 2005 O. Henry Award
- 2009 Peter Pan prize
- 2010 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
- 2013 Dos Passos Prize
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian | — | |
| Notable work | Reservation Blues | — | |
| Notable work | The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Sherman Alexie born?
Born October 7, 1966 (age 59).
Where is Sherman Alexie from?
Sherman Alexie is from Wellpinit, Washington, United States.
What does Sherman Alexie do?
Sherman Alexie works as screenwriter, film director, writer, poet, novelist.
What is Sherman Alexie known for?
Notable works include The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Reservation Blues, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven.
Screenwriter — see all → · Film director — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.