D'Arcy McNickle's 1936 novel The Surrounded chronicles the shifting relationships between Europeans and Native Americans on the Flathead Indian Reservation. The novel has been named the 2009 One Book Montana selection. The story of Archilde Leon, a troubled young man who returns to the reservation and finds himself caught between two opposing worlds is considered one of the early masterpieces of fiction by or about Native Americans.
McNickle spent nine years writing and rewriting The Surrounded. Thirty years passed after The Surrounded's publication before the literary field began to thrive as it does today. During his lifetime McNickle was considered a leading expert in ethnic studies. But he will be remembered most as a ground-breaking writer.
This is a literary map, based on a work of fiction, and designed to provide readers The Surrounded's sense of place. The novel's places, people and events are the product of the author's imagination or used fictiously.
The Missoula Public Library would like to thank Humanities Montana, the D'Arcy McNickle Library at Salish Kootenai College, and the Friends of Missoula Public Library for their support in the development of this website. For questions or comments about this site, please contact Cara Cadena at MPL.
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