"The Undiscovered" is an alternate history

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

by William Sanders that won the

Sidewise Award for Alternate History The Sidewise Awards for Alternate History were established in 1995 to recognize the best alternate history stories and novels of the year. Overview The awards take their name from the 1934 short story " Sidewise in Time" by Murray Leinster, in ...

. It was originally published in the March 1997 issue of '' Asimov's'' and, in addition to its Sidewise Award nomination, was nominated for the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the

Theodore Sturgeon Award The Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award is an annual literary award presented by the Theodore Sturgeon Literary Trust and the Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas to the author of the best short science fiction stor ...

. It was subsequently reprinted in ''The Year's Best Science Fiction: Fifteenth Annual Collection'', ''The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century'', and '' Best of the Best: 20 Years of the Year's Best Science Fiction''.

Plot

The story is narrated by a

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

man in the late 16th century. An English immigrant called Spear-Shaker has been captured by the narrator's tribe, and is essentially adopted by them. Spear-Shaker tries to introduce the concept of stage play to the tribe by producing a version of ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' for them, but mutual cultural misunderstandings make this very difficult.

References

1997 short stories Alternate history short stories Sidewise Award for Alternate History winning works Works based on Hamlet Cultural depictions of William Shakespeare Cherokee in popular culture Works about Native Americans Works set in the 16th century {{1990s-sf-story-stub