cover image Of Time and Change

Of Time and Change

Frank Waters. MacAdam/Cage Publishing, $20 (272pp) ISBN 978-1-878448-86-6

Waters's books are all about subjects close to his heart, like the Native Americans who inform the Book of the Hopi or The Man Who Killed the Deer, but his latest is about the subject closest to his heart--his longtime home of Taos, N.M. Nestled in the jagged Sangre de Cristo mountains, Taos is surrounded by a harshly beautiful landscape that has long attracted artists, writers and philosophers. Waters recounts the wild times in the early part of the century, the characters he met and the deep friendships he made. He remembers the Russian painters Leon Gaspard and Nicolai Fechin, whose names are still found on streets and buildings in Taos. He writes of the eccentric English painter Dorothy Brett and the eccentric English writer D.H. Lawrence. But memories of his best friends, Mabel Dodge Luhan and her ""blanketed Indian"" husband, Tony Lujan [sic], make up the bulk of the essays. He writes of the quasi-salon gatherings she re-created in her 17-room house on the edge of the reservation and his deep connection with Tony. ""Knowing herself incompetent to interpret Indian life, Mabel drew others to Taos. With them she hoped to instigate here a rebirth of the dying Western civilization from the body of Indian culture."" It's a mission that Waters takes up and many of the essays emphasize how much Anglos can learn from the Native American culture, their connection to the land and the spiritual benefits of such a relationship. His earthy, straightforward style delves deep into the ancient heritage of this land and the fascinating characters who gave it its artistic and spiritual repute. (Oct.)