Profile of Tony Hillerman on Famous Like Me

Tony Hillerman (born May 27, 1925 in Sacred Heart, Oklahoma) is an award-winning contemporary American author of detective novels and non-fiction works. His mystery novels are set in the Four Corners area of New Mexico and Arizona. The protagonists are Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee of the Navajo tribal police. Lt. Leaphorn was introduced in Hillerman's first novel, Blessing Way (1970).

Hillerman is a decorated combat veteran from World War II, serving as a mortarman in the U.S. 104th Infantry Division. Later, he worked as a journalist from 1948-1962. Then he earned a Masters degree and taught journalism from 1966-1987 at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where he still resides with his wife.

Hillerman's writing is noted for the details he provides about the culture of the people he writes about: Hopi, European-American, federal agents, as well as Navajo. His works in nonfiction and in fiction reflect his appreciation of the natural wonders of the American Southwest and his appreciation of its people, particularly the Navajo.

About Hillerman

• Seldom Disappointed: A Memoir by Tony Hillerman ISBN 0060194456
• Tony Hillerman's Navajoland: Hideouts, Haunts and Havens in the Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee Mysteries by Laurance D. Linford, Tony Hillerman ISBN 0874806984
• The Tony Hillerman Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to His Life and Work by Hillerman, Martin Greenberg
• Tony Hillerman's Indian Country Map & Guide, second edition by Time Traveler Maps by Tony Hillerman

External Links

• His own site
• list of fiction awards
• Unofficial homepage
• 1988 audio interview of Tony Hillerman by Don Swaim of CBS Radio, RealAudio

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