Synopsis
"Will put Allen in the company of writers such as James Joyce, August Wilson, and Ralph Ellison." --The Philadelphia Inquirer
When it was first published fifteen years ago, Jeffery Renard Allen's debut novel, Rails Under My Back, earned its author comparisons to some of the giants of twentieth-century modernism. The publication of Allen's equally ambitious second novel, Song of the Shank, cemented those lofty claims. Now, the book that established his reputation is being restored to print in its first Graywolf Press edition. Together, the two novels stand as significant achievements of twenty-first-century literature.Rails Under My Back is an epic that tracks the interwoven lives of two brothers, Lucius and John Jones, who are married to two sisters, Gracie and Sheila McShan. For them, their parents, and their children, life is always full of departures; someone is always fleeing town and leaving the remaining family to suffer the often dramatic, sometimes tragic consequences. The multiple effects of the comings and goings are devastating: These are the almost mythic expression of the African American experience in the half century that followed the Second World War.
The story ranges, as the characters do, from the city, which is somewhat like both New York and Chicago, to Memphis, to the West, and to many "inner" and "outer" locales. Rails Under My Back is a multifaceted, brilliantly colored, intensely musical novel that pulses with urgency and originality.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
JEFFERY RENARD ALLEN is the author of the novel Rails Under My Back and two collections of poetry. Allen was born and raised in Chicago. He teaches creative writing at Queens College/CUNY, and his awards include a Whiting Award.
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Rails under My Back : A Novel
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Rails Under My Back: A Novel
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Rails Under My Back: A Novel
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Rails Under My Back
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Rails Under My Back: A Novel
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Rails Under My Back Format: Paperback
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Condition: As New. Unread copy in mint condition. Seller Inventory # VH9781555977238
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Rails Under My Back Format: Paperback
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Rails Under My Back
Published by
Graywolf Press, Minneapolis, 2015
ISBN 10: 1555977235
ISBN 13: 9781555977238
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First Edition
Seller: Abacus Bookshop, Pittsford, NY, U.S.A.
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softcover. Condition: Fine copy. 1st. 8vo, 563 pp., First printing of the first edition. Seller Inventory # 117871
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Rails Under My Back (Paperback)
Seller: Grand Eagle Retail, Bensenville, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. "Will put Allen in the company of writers such as James Joyce, August Wilson, and Ralph Ellison." --The Philadelphia Inquirer When it was first published fifteen years ago, Jeffery Renard Allen's debut novel, Rails Under My Back, earned its author comparisons to some of the giants of twentieth-century modernism. The publication of Allen's equally ambitious second novel, Song of the Shank, cemented those lofty claims. Now, the book that established his reputation is being restored to print in its first Graywolf Press edition. Together, the two novels stand as significant achievements of twenty-first-century literature. Rails Under My Back is an epic that tracks the interwoven lives of two brothers, Lucius and John Jones, who are married to two sisters, Gracie and Sheila McShan. For them, their parents, and their children, life is always full of departures; someone is always fleeing town and leaving the remaining family to suffer the often dramatic, sometimes tragic consequences. The multiple effects of the comings and goings are devastating: These are the almost mythic expression of the African American experience in the half century that followed the Second World War. The story ranges, as the characters do, from the city, which is somewhat like both New York and Chicago, to Memphis, to the West, and to many "inner" and "outer" locales. Rails Under My Back is a multifaceted, brilliantly colored, intensely musical novel that pulses with urgency and originality. "Rails Under My Back" reveals its family theme in a depiction of its paradoxical opposite: abandonment. Allen tracks the lives of two brothers, Lucius and John Jones, who are married to two sisters, Gracie and Sheila McShan. The McShans and the Joneses always prevail, and their story has literary, religious, and historical power. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781555977238
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Rails Under My Back
Seller: Rarewaves USA, OSWEGO, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # LU-9781555977238