Night of the Living Rez:
stories
Overview
WINNER OF THE PEN/ROBERT W. BINGHAM PRIZE
WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE JOHN LEONARD PRIZE
WINNER OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS & LETTERS SUE KAUFMAN PRIZE
WINNER OF THE NEW ENGLAND BOOK AWARD
A NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION 5 UNDER 35 HONOREE
Set in a Native community in Maine, Night of the Living Rez is a riveting debut collection about what it means to be Penobscot in the twenty-first century and what it means to live, to survive, and to persevere after tragedy.
In twelve striking, luminescent stories, author Morgan Talty — with searing humour, abiding compassion, and deep insight — breathes life into tales of family and a community as they struggle with a painful past and an uncertain future. A boy unearths a jar that holds an old curse, which sets into motion his family’s unravelling; a man, while trying to swindle some pot from a dealer, discovers a friend passed out in the woods, his hair frozen into the snow; a grandmother suffering from Alzheimer’s projects the past onto her grandson; and two friends, inspired by Antiques Roadshow, attempt to rob the tribal museum for valuable root clubs.
A collection that examines the consequences and merits of inheritance, Night of the Living Rez is an unforgettable portrayal of an Indigenous community and marks the arrival of a standout talent in contemporary fiction.
Details
- Format
- Size
- Extent
- ISBN
- RRP
- Pub date
- Rights held
- Other rights
- Paperback
- 210mm x 135mm
- 304 pages
- 9781761381614
- AUD$32.99
- 2 September 2025
- ANZ
- The Wylie Agency
Categories
Awards
- Winner of the 2023 The PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection
- Winner of the 2022 National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize for Best First Book
- Winner of the 2023 American Academy of Arts and Letters Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction
- Winner of the 2022 New England Book Award for Fiction
- Shortlisted for the 2023 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction
- Shortlisted for the 2023 The Chautauqua Prize
- Shortlisted for the 2022 2022 Barnes & Noble Discover Prize
- Longlisted for the 2023 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award
- Longlisted for the 2023 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Prize
- Longlisted for the 2023 The Story Prize
Praise
‘A perfect mix of funny, sad, timely, and intense, this one has something for everyone.’
‘Talty’s book haunted and thrilled me in its raw explorations of inheritance, grief and survival, imbued with humour and warmth.’
About the Author
Morgan Talty is a citizen of the Penobscot Indian Nation. His debut short story collection, Night of the Living Rez, won the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Sue Kaufman Prize, the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize, the New England Book Award, and the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 Honor. His writing has appeared widely, including in The Georgia Review, Granta, and Lit Hub. Talty is an assistant professor of English in Creative Writing and Native American and Contemporary Literature at the University of Maine, Orono. He lives in Levant, Maine.