The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (Dover Thrift Editions: Black History)

James Weldon Johnson

ISBN 10: 048628512X / ISBN 13: 9780486285122

Published by Dover Publications, 1995

Shows minimal signs of wear and previous use. Can include notes highlighting. A portion of your purchase benefits nonprofits! - Note: Edition & format may differ from what is shown in stock photo & item details. May not include supplementary material such as toys, access code, dvds, etc. Seller Inventory # 584R0H00086D_ns

Synopsis:

This remarkable novel documents the life of an American of mixed ethnicity who moves freely in society ― from the rural South to the urban North and eventually, Europe. A revolutionary work which not only probes the psychological aspects of "passing for white" but also examines the American caste and class system.

From the Back Cover: One of the most prominent African-Americans of his time, James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) was a successful lawyer, educator, social reformer, songwriter, and critic. But it was as a poet and novelist that he achieved lasting fame.
Among his most famous works, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man in many ways parallels Johnson's own remarkable life. First published in 1912, the novel relates, through an anonymous narrator, events in the life of an American of mixed ethnicity whose exceptional abilities and ambiguous appearance allow him unusual social mobility--from the rural South to the urban North and eventually to Europe.
This pioneering work not only probes the psychological aspects of "passing for white" but also examines the American caste and class system. The human drama is powerful and revealing--from the narrator's persistent battles with personal demons to his firsthand observations of a Southern lynching and the mingling of races in New York's bohemian atmosphere at the turn of the century.

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (...
Publisher: Dover Publications
Publication Date: 1995
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: very_good