Native American Authors

John Joseph Mathews, 1894-1979

Osage

John Mathews was born 1894 in Pawhuska, Oklahoma and died in 1979. He was a World War I veteran, serving as a pilot. He attended Oxford University and obtained a B.A. in 1923, and in 1924 went to the University of Geneva where he earned a certificate in International Relations. He was highly regarded for his sensitive depictions of Native Americans who feel alienated from both their tribal heritage and from American society. Mathews published his first novel, Sundown, in 1934.

Awards and Honors

Guggenheim Fellowship, 1939-40

Books by John Joseph Mathews:

Mathews, John Joseph. Life and Death of an Oilman: The career ofE. W. Marland
Norman, OK : University of Oklahoma Press, 1951.
Genre: Nonfiction
Language: English
Audience: Adult

Mathews, John Joseph. The Osages: children of the middle waters.
Norman, OK : University of Oklahoma Press, 1961.

Mathews, John Joseph. Reminiscences and Thrilling Stories of the War by Returned Heroes Containing Vivid Accounts of Personal Experiences by Officers and Men
Norman, OK : University of Oklahoma Press, 1932.
Genre: Autobiography
Language: English
Audience: All Ages

Mathews, John Joseph. Sundown
Norman, OK : University of Oklahoma Press, 1988.
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0806121602

Mathews, John Joseph. Talking to the moon
Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1945.

Mathews, John Joseph. Wah’Kon-Tah: the Osage and the white man’s road.
Norman, OK : University of Oklahoma press, 1932.
Genre: Nonfiction
Language: English
Audience: Adult
ISBN: 0806116994

Return to Native American Authors Home