A collection of 14 essays by Walker (Jubilee, 1966; Richard Wright:
Daemonic Genius, 1987) that serves as both a powerful social
history and as a serious study of black American literature. Born
into a family of teachers and ministers, Walker was fortunate to
have met and been influenced by the poet Langston Hughes while
still in high school. It was his influence, she says, and her
family's emphasis on education, that convinced her to continue
writing despite the odds against a southern black woman. Her
association with Richard Wright in Chicago and her work with the
WPA provided the practical experience and instilled the political
consciousness that permeates her work. The first batch of essays,
here particularly "Growing Out of Shadow" and "Willing To Pay the
Price," deal with those early years. The emotion-packed "How I Told
My Child About Race" is a rambling but potent lesson on how to pass
on the history without the bitterness and hatred. And the title
piece, "How I Wrote Jubilee," is an interesting look at the birth
and growth of a novel; it is also the story of Walker's search for
her roots. The second section of essays, although primarily
literary, nevertheless are revealing on a personal level.
"Rediscovering Black Women Writers in the Mecca of the New Negro"
and "The Humanistic Tradition of Afro-American Literature" clearly
express Walker's preference for the intellectual and compassionate
in black literature as opposed to the more strident and
confrontational. Walker tidily sums up her career -
well-represented by these essays dating from the 1940's through the
1980's - by writing "All I have ever written or desire to write is
motivated by the fact that I am a Negro living in America. . .As a
writer, however, my commitment has to be to the one thing I can do
best, and that is to the business of writing." (Kirkus Reviews)
This first comprehensive collection of Margaret Walker's
autobiographical and literary essays has been acclaimed as "a
powerful social history and as a serious study of black American
literature."-"Kirkus Review" In the title essay, Walker recounts
the search for family and social history from which she wrote her
carefully researched novel of the Civil War. The autobiographical
essays reflect on her work and her life as an artist, as
African-American, and a woman, while the literary essays examine
the writings of such giants as Richard Wright, W.E.B. DuBois,
Phyllis Wheatley, Georgia Douglas Johnson, and others. "Spanning a
half-century (1943to 1988), these brilliant, intimate writings
capture the flavor of the times and powerfully convey the social
and literary thoughts that distinguishes Walker as one of the
intellectual beacons of her generation."-"Booklist"
General
Imprint: |
Feminist Press at The City University of New York
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
February 1993 |
First published: |
1993 |
Authors: |
Margaret Walker
|
Editors: |
Maryemma Graham
|
Dimensions: |
226 x 149 x 14mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
184 |
Edition: |
New |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-55861-004-0 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
1-55861-004-9 |
Barcode: |
9781558610040 |
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!