Cold Mountain Author Visits Duluth

Southern writer Charles Frazier has established himself as a literary powerhouse. With just two novels penned, and third in the works, Frazier has captured a wide audience of readers and created a cult-like following.

Earlier this month Frazier participated in Gwinnett Reads, an annual reading program sponsored by the Gwinnett County Public Library system. The theme of this year’s event was Cherokee Indian culture, a theme in Frazier’s second novel “Thirteen Moons.”

“In ‘Thirteen Moons,’ Charles Frazier takes us on an exciting adventure,” said Nancy Stanberry-Kellam, executive director for the Gwinnett County Public Library. “At the same time, readers experience an enchanting journey through the Cherokee culture, which is also part of the fabric of our local history here in Gwinnett.”

Frazier participated in “An Evening with Charles Frazier,” an event that featured live music and a reading from the author himself.

Frazier shared the stage with Cherokee native Myrtle Driver Johnson, who interpreted several passages of Thirteen Moons in the Cherokee language.

“Thirteen Moons” was published in 2006, following the success of his first novel “Cold Mountain,” and the subsequent Oscar-winning film based on “Cold Mountain.” Frazier said he was inspired to write about the Cherokee nation because of his own roots.

“I grew up in western North Carolina, on what had been Cherokee land,” he said.

Frazier began doing research on the “Trail of Tears,” the forced removal of Native Americans from their homelands and relocation to Indian Territory in present day Oklahoma.

In his research Frazier learned the story of William Holland Thomas, a Cherokee chief and an officer in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Thomas worked to protect the Cherokee’s and helped them remain on their land in North Carolina.

“This was a man sent out as a boy at 13,” said Frazier. “I had this picture of a little boy on a horse in the midst of a different culture. That is where I wanted to start [telling the story], with a kid on a horse.”

In researching “Thirteen Moods,” Frazier delved into both the Cherokee culture and language.

"I focused on the language. You can hear the beauty of that language. It was the first way the southern Appalachian lands found a human voice. The culture of the United States would be poorer if that language becomes lost." said Frazier. "It could be gone as a living language in 20 years.”

It is the time and effort that Frazier put in that has put into his book that has made his work so appealing to readers. He admits that his writing process is slow, but it allows him the time to perfect each page. He is currently writing his third novel, a work he says has yet to take shape.

“I am still early in the book. It looks like a mess. I trust if given enough time it will take shape,” he said.

Frazier said that it took him several years to write “Cold Mountain,” until he was given a deadline.

“When there is a deadline it is different. You don’t want to have to make that call to a publisher asking them to extend anything,” he said.

Frazier does not make many public appearances outside of book tours; he does however make exceptions for library functions.

“Libraries are an important resource. I use them a lot and I used them while doing research for ‘Thirteen Moons.’ I found a great deal of material there,” said Frazier.

In doing his research, Frazier said he found first hand accounts from people taken from their homes. He also found hand written inventories each position found in a Cherokee family’s home.

“I found information I could not find any where else, I couldn’t find this information on the internet,” he said. “I got such a sense of what their lives were. There are some things you can’t Google.”