The first Western noir by Barry Gifford, "a killer fuckin' writer." (David Lynch)
Based on historical events in 1851, this Western noir novella traces the struggle of the first integrated Native American tribe to establish themselves on the North American continent. After escaping the Oklahoma relocation camps they had been placed in following their forced evacuation from Florida, the Seminole Indians banded with fugitive slaves from the American South to fulfill the vision of their leader, Coyote, to establish their land in Mexico's Nacimiento. The Mexican government allowed them initially to settle in Mexico near the Texas-Mexico border, in exchange for guarding nearby villages from bands of raiding Comanches and Apaches.
On the Texas side of the border, a romance begins between Teresa, daughter of former Texas Ranger and slavehunter Cass Dupuy, and Sunny, son of the great Seminole chief Osceola. Teresa's father, a violent man, has heard about the fugitive slaves settled on the other side of the border and plans to profit from them. As the story progresses, multiple actors come into play, forming alliances or declaring each other enemy, as the Seminoles struggle to fulfill captain Coyote's corazonada to find their own land. Black Sun Rising is a poetic story which brings to light a little-known but important chapter in American and Mexican history and will be simultaneously published in Mexico by Almadía. One of America's greatest novelists and a tireless innovator whose oeuvre spans fiction, autobiography, oral history, and short fiction, Barry Gifford is now venturing into the genre of Western, breaking new ground by infusing it with his signature noir style.
“These stories make for one of the most important and moving American bildungsromans of all time.”
-- William Boyle, Southwest Review
*"It's a compelling tale on multiple levels, as an action-filled western and an unconventional love story, but especially as a vivid recounting of the fascinating history of the Seminole Indians, the legendary warrior tribe who, forced to evacuate their Florida homeland, united with fugitive slaves from the South called Mascogos to form the first integrated Native American tribe in North America."
--Booklist, starred review
“A noir Western full of heart that explores a unique time in American history, Black Sun Rising / La Corazonada ... is a bilingual book that celebrates diversity while showing Gifford is a master storyteller regardless of the genre or story he decides to tackle. . . As with anything by Gifford, this book is worth a read because it takes adventure and violence and wraps them around characters that feel real, so empathy is almost immediate. The breakneck speed of the narrative and the rich historical details are just icing on the cake. Furthermore, making this a bilingual edition was a great idea that hopefully will bring Gifford to new readers both here and in Mexico, where the book was published by Editorial Almadía. While all the directors Gifford had in mind when he started writing the novel were either dead or retired by the time he had finished it, Black Sun Rising / La Corazonada could easily translate to the big screen, and I hope someone makes it happen. In the meantime, go read it. Gifford is one of the best storytellers of our time."
--Gabino Iglesias, Southwest Review
