Oliver La Farge

Oliver La Farge (1904–1963) was an American writer and anthropologist whose work focused on the lives and traditions of Native Americans. Born in New York City into a prominent family, he studied anthropology at Harvard, conducting fieldwork among the Navajo and other tribes. His first novel, "Laughing Boy" (1929), a poignant story of Navajo life, won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1930. La Farge later wrote several other novels and non-fiction works, including "The Enemy Gods" and "The American Indian," and was a lifelong advocate for Native American rights, serving as president of the Association on American Indian Affairs. His literary legacy lies in his sensitive, ethnographic portrayal of Indigenous cultures during a period of widespread assimilationist pressure.