In novels such as Sundog and Farmer and in novellas such as Legends of the Fall and The Woman Lit by Fireflies, Harrison ponders themes of nature, vengeance, the family circle, and collisions between Native American and white cultures. His books, translated into some dozen languages, number ten volumes of poetry, six novels, and three collections of novellas.

In addition, he has produced the nonfiction collection Just Before Dark, a trio of screenplays, and assorted pieces of journalism, including his Esquire column "The Raw and the Cooked." Still, despite healthy commercial success and glowing book reviews, Harrison's works have not received the critical attention they merit.

Helping to correct this imbalance comes Edward C. Reilly's Jim Harrison, the first book-length appraisal of the writer's life and works. Drawing on an array of primary and secondary sources - including personal interviews with Harrison and his family and friends - Reilly presents a thorough biographical portrait of his subject and an in-depth analysis of the major works of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.

Separate chapters evaluate each principal work of fiction, examining characterization, plot, setting, themes, style, and technique. Assessing Harrison's poetry, Reilly pinpoints common motifs and identifies links between the poetry and the fiction. Settings, Reilly notes, "are accurately and faithfully rendered because Harrison has ... seen them with the eyes of the poet and storyteller.".

A unique resource for high school and college courses in contemporary American literature, Jim Harrison will appeal to students, scholars, and general readers. The volume also includes a Preface, Acknowledgments, Chronology, Notes and References, Selected Bibliography, and Index.