Erdrich

Erdrich is the surname of Louise Erdrich (born 1954), an American writer whose prolific body of work includes novels, poetry, and children's literature. A member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, she often centers Ojibwe communities, kinship networks, and the tension between memory and modern life in her storytelling. Much of her fiction is tied to the North Dakota region and its Indigenous histories, with several works linked by recurring settings and characters such as the fictional town of Argus.

Key novels and books include Love Medicine (1984), a breakthrough work that established her distinctive polyphonic narrative voice; The Plague of Doves (2008); The Round House (2012); and The Night Watchman (2020). The Birchbark House (1999) is a children's historical novel about a Chippewa family in the 19th century. In addition to her adult fiction, Erdrich has contributed to poetry and children's literature, expanding her influence across literary genres. The Night Watchman won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2021, and The Round House earned the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction, among other recognitions.

Erdrich’s writing is noted for lyrical language, formal experimentation, and a sustained focus on Indigenous perspectives, trauma, resilience, and cultural continuity. She is also known for her role in fostering Indigenous literary communities, including the cofounding of the independent bookstore Birchbark Books in Minneapolis. Her work has positioned her as a central figure in contemporary American literature and Indigenous storytelling.