Contemporary African American Novelists: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook

by Emmanuel S. Nelson

Overview

During the last two decades, African American writers have emerged as a distinct and dominant force in world literature. This reference book offers lively, concise, and current information about the lives and imaginative works of 79 contemporary African American novelists. Each of the alphabetically arranged entries begins with a biographical sketch of the author, offers a judicious critical assessment of the author's major works, provides a representative sample of the critical responses the author's books have elicited, and concludes with a selected bibliography that lists the author's publications as well as useful secondary material. Included are entries for major figures, such as Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, James Baldwin, and Ralph Ellison, but many noteworthy young writers also receive the attention they deserve. Forty-one of the 79 writers discussed are women, and roughly a dozen of the novelists have identified themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Intended for students and advanced scholars alike, the volume is sophisticated yet accessible to a wide audience.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313007675
Publisher:	ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date:	02/28/1999
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	922 KB

About the Author

EMMANUEL S. NELSON is Professor of English at the State University of New York College at Cortland. He is the author of more than 30 articles on various international literatures in English, and his books include Reworlding: The Literature of the Indian Diaspora (1992), Contemporary Gay American Novelists: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook (1993), and Writers of the Indian Diaspora: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook (1993), all available from Greenwood Press.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction by Deborah G. Plant
Tina McElroy Ansa by Joyce L. Cherry
Doris Jean Austin by Evra Jones
James Baldwin by Emmanuel S. Nelson
Toni Cade Bambara by Nanette Morton
Barry Beckam by Loretta G. Woodard
Hal Bennet by Adam Meyer
David Henry Bradley, Jr. by Marilyn Damarest Button
Gwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Hotte Massa
Cecil Morris Brown by Samuel B. Garren
Frank London Brown by Charles Tita
Ed Bullins by Peggy Stevenson Ratliff
Octavia E. Butler by AnnLouise Keating
Bebe Moore Campbell by Joyce Russell-Robinson
Barbara Chase-Riboud by Sarah McKee
Alice Childress by Terry Novak
Michelle Cliff by Cora Agatucci
Cyrus Colter by Leela Kapai
Steven Corbin by Terrence J. McGovern
Samuel Delany by Grace Sikorski
William Dembey by Peter G. Christensen
Melvin Dixon by André Hoyrd
Larry Duplechan by Emmanuel S. Nelson
Ralph Waldo Ellison by Harish Chander
Arthur R. Flowers by Ymitri Jayasundera
Leon Forrest by Dana A. Williams
Albert French by Jeff Loeb
Ernest J. Gaines by Eberhard Alsen
Marita Golden by Loretta G. Woodard
Sam Greenlee by Adam Meyer
Bill Gunn by P. Jane Splawn
E. Lynn Harris by Grace Sikorski
Chester B. Himes by Bruce A. Glasrud and Laurie Champion
Kristin Hunter by Rennie Simson
Blyden Jackson by Gwendolyn S. Jones
Charles Johnson by Christian Morau
Gayl Jones by Kimberly N. Brown
June Jordan by Kimberly N. Brown
William Melvin Kelley by Anissa J. Wardi
Randall Kenan by Chris Roark
John Oliver Killens by Harish Chander
Jamaica Kincaid by Ymitri Jayasundera
Andrea Lee by Sarala Krishnamurthy
Audrey Lee by Charles Tita
Philip Lewis by Jeffrey Dunham
Audre Lorde by AnnLouise Keating
Clarence Major by Tracie Church Guzzio
Paule Marshall by Shanna D. Greene
Sharon Bell Mathis by Gwendolyn S. Jones
John A. McCluskey, Jr. by Laurie Champion
Terri McMillan by Rita B. Dandridge
Louise Meriwether by Kathy White
Toni Morrison by Eberhard Alsen
Walter Mosley by Kristina L. Knotts
Albert Murray by Roy Kay
Walter Dean Myers by Terry Novak
Gloria Naylor by Sarah Wheliss and Emmanuel S. Nelson
Ann Petry by Marlene D. Allen
Carlene Hatcher Polite by Frank-Damien Mvuyekure
Doris Sanders by Nicholyn Hutchinson
Sapphire by Tracey Walters
Gil Scott-Heron by Suzanne Hotte Massa
Ntosake Shange by Sarah Wheliss and Emmanuel S. Nelson
Charlotte Watson Sherman by Bindu Malieckal
Ann Allen Shockley by Adenike Marie Davidson
April Sinclair by Jacqueline C. Jones
Ellease Sutherland by Cherron A. Barnwell
Joyce Carol Thomas by Amy E. Earhart
Dawn Turbaner Trice by Lean'tin Bracks
Alice Walker by Molly Roden
Margaret Walker by Annette Debo
Dorothy West by A. Yemisi Jimoh
John Edgar Wideman by Robin Lucy
Sherley Anne Williams by Trela Anderson
Jacqueline Woodson by Nicola Morris
Sarah Elizabeth Wright by Linda M. White
Frank Garvin Yerby by Louis Hill Pratt
Index

Editorial Reviews

This volume provides biographical, critical, and bibliographical material on 79 black writers (41 of them women), ranging from such luminaries as Alice Walker to lesser-known artists like Philip Lewis. In collecting pieces on a spectrum of novelists, this book could serve a useful purpose, but it is marred by several flaws. First, there are some notable omissions, including Amiri Baraka and Rosa Guy. More importantly, some of the entries are of uneven quality. The book would have benefited from more rigorous editing to update information, check facts, correct inconsistencies in style, and tighten the writing. It is most valuable for the pieces on several recent and/or overlooked writers who have not yet received the critical attention they deserve (e.g., Melvin Dixon, Marita Golden). For other authors, readers will be better served by African American Writers (LJ 6/1/91) or the volumes on black writers in the Dictionary of Literary Biography.Louis J. Parascandola, Long Island Univ., Brooklyn, NY

Library Journal

This introduction to the contemporary African American novel highlights 79 writers whose works thematize not only racism and its devastating implications but a wide range of issues and concerns. Each entry begins with relevant biographical information on the novelist, offers a critical commentary on his or her works, provides an overview of the critical reception accorded, and concludes with a selected bibliography that lists the primary works and the secondary sources. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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