Early Literary Work
In the period from 1978 to 1982, Erdrich published many poems and short stories. She also began collaborating with Dorris, initially working through the mail while Dorris was working in New Zealand. The relationship progressed, and the two were married in 1981. During this time, Erdrich assembled the material that would eventually be published as the poetry collection Jacklight.
In 1982, Erdrich's story, "The World’s Greatest Fisherman", was awarded the $5,000 Nelson Algren Prize for short fiction. This convinced Erdrich and Dorris, who continued to work collaboratively, that they should embark on writing a novel.
Read more about this topic: Louise Erdrich
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