The Kin of Ata are Waiting for You
Encyclopedia
The Kin of Ata are Waiting for You (1976) is the second novel by Dorothy Bryant
. It deals with the idea of how the negation of dreams as a guide to life affects the real world. Alice Walker
has said this is "One of my favorite books in all the world".
The book has been cited in a number of academic articles and text-books in the fields of philosophy, psychology, and law.
The book was first published as a novella
by Evan Press in 1971, under the title The Comforter: A Mystical Fantasy. Although it was initially rejected by major publishing houses, despite the success of the author's first novel, its publication led to the inception of Bryant's
private publishing business, the Ata Press. Kin was subsequently picked up for publication by Random House
, a major publisher, and has remained in print for over 30 years. The novel has a cult following among feminists
, psychologists, and teachers of religious studies.
people where every aspect of their waking lives is governed by their dream life. Initially in conflict with their ways, the unnamed protagonist, according to Bryant
, "is dragged kicking and screaming to his own salvation." He realizes that the people of this island, through their dreaming, support and maintain the real world, and that he needs to incorporate this world view so he can successfully return to his former life. It can be read as an allegory of spiritual growth, and shows the influence of modern anthropological writings on indigenous peoples
and the writings of psychologist Carl Jung
.
praised the novel as "a deeply spiritually rewarding book" featuring "some of the cleanest, sparest, simplest prose I've seen all year."
Dorothy Bryant
Dorothy Bryant is an American novelist, playwright, essayist and feminist writer.Bryant is known for her mystical, feminist and fantastic novels and plays that traverse the space between the real world and her character's inner psyche or soul...
. It deals with the idea of how the negation of dreams as a guide to life affects the real world. Alice Walker
Alice Walker
Alice Malsenior Walker is an American author, poet, and activist. She has written both fiction and essays about race and gender...
has said this is "One of my favorite books in all the world".
The book has been cited in a number of academic articles and text-books in the fields of philosophy, psychology, and law.
The book was first published as a novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
by Evan Press in 1971, under the title The Comforter: A Mystical Fantasy. Although it was initially rejected by major publishing houses, despite the success of the author's first novel, its publication led to the inception of Bryant's
Dorothy Bryant
Dorothy Bryant is an American novelist, playwright, essayist and feminist writer.Bryant is known for her mystical, feminist and fantastic novels and plays that traverse the space between the real world and her character's inner psyche or soul...
private publishing business, the Ata Press. Kin was subsequently picked up for publication by Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, a major publisher, and has remained in print for over 30 years. The novel has a cult following among feminists
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
, psychologists, and teachers of religious studies.
Plot summary
A ruthlessly "successful" man is transported to an unknown island whose location is never revealed, the implication being that it doesn't physically exist in our world. The island is inhabited by whom he gradually learns are a deceptively primitivePrimitive
Primitive may refer to:* Anarcho-primitivism, an anarchist critique of the origins and progress of civilization* Primitive culture, one that lacks major signs of economic development or modernity...
people where every aspect of their waking lives is governed by their dream life. Initially in conflict with their ways, the unnamed protagonist, according to Bryant
Dorothy Bryant
Dorothy Bryant is an American novelist, playwright, essayist and feminist writer.Bryant is known for her mystical, feminist and fantastic novels and plays that traverse the space between the real world and her character's inner psyche or soul...
, "is dragged kicking and screaming to his own salvation." He realizes that the people of this island, through their dreaming, support and maintain the real world, and that he needs to incorporate this world view so he can successfully return to his former life. It can be read as an allegory of spiritual growth, and shows the influence of modern anthropological writings on indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
and the writings of psychologist Carl Jung
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
.
Reception
Spider RobinsonSpider Robinson
Spider Robinson is an American-born Canadian Hugo and Nebula award winning science fiction author.- Biography :Born in the Bronx, New York City, Robinson attended Catholic high school, spending his junior year in a seminary, followed by two years in a Catholic college, and five years at the State...
praised the novel as "a deeply spiritually rewarding book" featuring "some of the cleanest, sparest, simplest prose I've seen all year."