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An unmissable entry in the esteemed Library of Congress Crime
Classics, an exciting new classic mystery series created in
exclusive partnership with the Library of Congress to highlight the
best of American crime fiction When the body of N'Gana Frimbo, the
African conjure-man, is discovered in his consultation room, Perry
Dart, one of Harlem's ten Black police detectives, is called in to
investigate. Together with Dr Archer, a physician from across the
street, Dart is determined to solve the baffling mystery, helped
and hindered by Bubber Brown and Jinx Jenkins, local boys keen to
clear themselves of suspicion of murder and undertake their own
investigations. This groundbreaking mystery is the first ever to
feature a Black detective and all Black characters, written by
Black author Rudolph Fisher, who was a principal writer of the
Harlem Renaissance.
One of Buzzfeed's Most Anticipated Books of 2021. "This
trailblazing work of fiction is notable for its depiction of
Harlem's African American society and culture in the 1930s"
-Bookpage When the body of N'Gana Frimbo, the African conjure-man,
is discovered in his consultation room, Perry Dart, one of Harlem's
ten Black police detectives, is called in to investigate. Together
with Dr Archer, a physician from across the street, Dart is
determined to solve the baffling mystery, helped and hindered by
Bubber Brown and Jinx Jenkins, local boys keen to clear themselves
of suspicion of murder and undertake their own investigations. The
Conjure-Man Dies was the very first detective novel written by an
African-American. A distinguished doctor and accomplished musician
and dramatist, Rudolph Fisher was one of the principal writers of
the Harlem Renaissance, but died in 1934 aged only 37. With a
gripping plot and vividly drawn characters, Fisher's witty novel is
a remarkable time capsule of one of the most exciting eras in the
history of Black fiction. This crime classic is introduced by New
York crime writer Stanley Ellin, and includes Rudolph Fisher's last
published story, 'John Archer's Nose', in which Perry Dart and Dr
Archer return to solve the case of a young man murdered in his own
bed.
Originally published in 1932, this book is the first known mystery
novel written by an African-American. Rudolph Fisher, one of the
principal writers of the Harlem Renaissance, becomes a
'conjure-man', a fortune teller, a mysterious figure who remains
shrouded in darkness while his clients sit directly across from
him, singly bathed in light. It is in this configuration that one
of these seekers of the revelation of fate discovers he is speaking
to a dead man.
The first novel by one of the legends of the Harlem Renaissance, a
classic in the annals of Black fiction. When Black lawyer Fred
Merrit purchases a house in the most exclusive white neighbourhood
bordering Harlem, he has to hire the toughest removal firm in the
area to help him get his belongings past the hostile neighbours.
The removal men are Jinx Jenkins and Bubber Brown, who make the
move anything but straightforward. This hilarious satire of
jazz-age Harlem derides the walls people build around
themselves-colour and class being chief among them. In their
reactions to Merrit and to one another, the characters provide an
invaluable view of the social and philosophical scene of the times.
First published in 1928, The Walls of Jericho is the first novel by
Rudolph Fisher, author of The Conjure-Man Dies, whom Langston
Hughes called 'the wittiest of the Harlem Renaissance writers,
whose tongue was flavoured with the sharpest and saltiest humour'.
This new edition includes Fisher's short story 'One Month's Wages',
which revisits Jinx and Bubber during the Depression when, down on
their luck, one seeks to win money by gambling, the other by taking
a job in a mortuary.
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The Walls of Jericho
Rudolph Fisher; Contributions by Mint Editions
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R634
R515
Discovery Miles 5 150
Save R119 (19%)
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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The Walls of Jericho
Rudolph Fisher; Contributions by Mint Editions
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R398
R329
Discovery Miles 3 290
Save R69 (17%)
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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Despite the fact that a number of Rudolph Fisher's works appeared
in national magazines such as Atlantic Monthly and McClure's,
little critical attention has been devoted to his short fiction
over the years. This collection brings together, for the first
time, fifteen of Fisher's general adult stories, detective stories,
and his stories for children, accompanied by an introduction, brief
biography, and a chronology of his published work. The introductory
essay explores the short story as a genre and examines Fisher's
place in American short fiction.
One of the premier writers of the Harlem Renaissance, Rudolph
Fisher wrote short stories depicting the multifaceted black urban
experience that are still acclaimed today for their humor, grace,
and objective view of Harlem life. Through his words, wrote the
"New York Times Book Review," "one feels, smells, and tastes his
Harlem; its people come alive and one cares about them."
A definitive collection of Fisher's short stories, "The""City of
Refuge" offers vibrant tales that deal with the problems faced by
newcomers to the city, ancestor figures who struggle to instill a
sense of integrity in the young, problems of violence and
vengeance, and tensions of caste and class. This anthology has now
been expanded to include seven previously unpublished stories that
take up such themes as marital infidelity and passing for black and
also relate the further adventures of Jinx and Bubber, the comic
duo who appeared in Fisher's two novels.
This new edition also includes two unpublished speeches and the
popular article "The Caucasian Storms Harlem," describing the craze
for black music and dance. John McCluskey's introduction has been
updated to place the additional works within the context of
Fisher's career while situating his oeuvre within the broader
context of American writing during the twenties.
Fisher recognized the dramatic and comic power in African
American folklore and music and frequented Harlem's many cabarets,
speakeasies, and nightclubs, and at the core of his work is a
strong regard for music as context and counterpoint. "The City of
Refuge" now better captures the sounds of the city experience by
presenting all of Fisher's known stories. It offers a portrait of
Harlem unmatched in depth and range by Fisher's contemporaries or
successors, celebrating, as "Booklist "noted, "the complexity of
black urban life in its encounter with the dangers and delights of
the city." This expanded edition adds new perspectives to that
experience and will enhance Fisher's status for a new generation of
readers.
Lawyer Ralph Merritt buys a house in a white neighborhood bordering
Harlem. In their reactions to Merritt and to one another, Fishers'
characters--including the prejudiced Miss Cramp who 'takes on
causes the way sticky tape picks up lint, ' Merritt's housekeeper
Linda, and Shine, his piano mover--provide an invaluable view of
the social and philosophical milieu of the times.Thematically,
Fisher focuses on the idea of black unity and discovery of the
self.
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