A story of love, violence, and race set at the outbreak of the
Haitian Revolution in 1791, African American writer Arna Bontemps's
Drums at Dusk immerses readers in the opulent and brutal -- yet
also very fragile -- society of France's richest colony, Saint
Domingue. First published in 1939, this novel explores the complex
web of tensions connecting wealthy plantation owners, poor whites,
free people of color, and the slaves who stunned the colony and the
globe by uniting in a carefully planned uprising. The novel's hero,
Diron Desautels, a white Creole born in Saint Domingue who belongs
to the French antislavery group Soci?t? des Amis des Noirs,
attempts to spread his message of "liberty, equality, fraternity"
in a world fraught with conflict.
Imaginatively inhabiting a wide spectrum of Haitian voices,
including those of white indentured servants, female slaves, and
Toussaint L'Ouverture, who later emerged as the revolution's
best-known hero, Bontemps's work reflects not only the intricacies
of Haitian society on the eve of the revolution, but also a black
artist's vision of Haiti in the twentieth century, during the U.S.
Marines' occupation and at the brink of war in Europe.
A new introduction by Michael P. Bibler and Jessica Adams
reveals how Drums at Dusk -- even seventy years after its original
publication -- contributes to contemporary studies of the American
South as part of the larger plantation region of the Caribbean and
inspires a reevaluation of assumptions about revolution, race, and
nationalism.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!