Showing results by author "Jean Toomer" in All Categories

African American literature is the body of literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent. It begins with the works of such late 18th-century writers as Phillis Wheatley. Before the high point of enslaved people narratives, African-American literature was dominated by autobiographical spiritual narratives. The genre known as slave narratives in the 19th century were accounts by people who had generally escaped from slavery, about their journeys to freedom and ways they claimed their lives.

As I immersed myself in this profound work, I envisioned a land, once shrouded in silence, awakening to the vibrant melodies of expression. Countless books have explored the South, and while some have captured its essence, this one truly embodies it. Part One unveils the raw and fleeting beauty of Georgia; Part Two delves into the challenging, yet rich life of Washington; and Part Three returns to Georgia, revealing the deep, nurturing roots of a complex and intellectually vibrant Black community. From the Forward by Waldo Frank.

Jean Toomer's Cane is one of the most significant works to come out of the Harlem Renaissance, and is considered to be a masterpiece in American modernist literature because of its distinct structure and style. First published in 1923 and told through a series of vignettes, Cane uses poetry, prose, and play-like dialogue to create a window into the varied lives of African Americans living in the rural South and urban North during a time when Jim Crow laws pervaded and racism reigned.

Poet Jean Toomer’s short-story and poetry collection.