Alexander Lawrence Posey [Chinnubbie Harjo] (August 5, 1873-May 27, 1908)

Alexander Lawrence Posey was the first American Indian to receive significant national notice as a lyric poet and humorist. Yet he has received little critical attention: no biography, authoritative editions of his works, or significant critical studies exist. Though his works are in many ways conventional, he defies the stereotype of the assimilated Indian. He had welldefined ideas concerning the Indian writer and the obstacles between him and the American reading public, but his hesitancy to confront those obstacles may have denied him a prominent place in literary history, despite the volume and quality of his works.