Conversations with Ishmael Reed

by Bruce Dick, Amritjit Singh

Overview

Conversations with Ishmael Reed edited by Bruce Dick and Amritjit Singh As a fiercely independent thinker, Ishmael Reed, author of Mumbo Jumbo, Flight to Canada, Reckless Eyeballing, and other works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, is often in conflict with the culture that appears to have a compulsive need to cage its artists and intellectuals in worn-out cliches and labels. As a writer who experiments in many forms and genres, and one who embraces postmodernism rather than protest and naturalism, Reed defies popular conceptions of what American writers, particularly black American male writers, should be or do. In this collection of candid interviews, Reed discusses how critics, especially from the northeastern establishment, have consistently marginalized African American writers by placing them in the "either-or thing of Christianity and Communism." As he does in his writing, Reed uses invective, satire, and humor to show how those people judging American literature "have made no attempt to understand recent American writing." Bruce Dick is a professor of English and African American studies at Appalachian State University. Amritjit Singh is a professor of English and African American studies at Ohio University.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780878058150
Publisher:	University Press of Mississippi
Publication date:	12/01/1995
Series:	Literary Conversations Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	420
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Bruce Dick is associate professor of English at Appalachian State University and coeditor of Conversations with Ishmael Reed and Conversations with Rudolfo Anaya, both published by University Press of Mississippi. Amritjit Singh is professor of English at Rhode Island College and coeditor of Postcolonial Theory and the United States, Interviews with Edward W. Said, and Conversations with Ralph Ellison, all published by University Press of Mississippi.

Read an Excerpt

Interviewer: You teach a poetry class at UC Berkeley. How do your students respond to your viewpoints?
Ishmael Reed: I don't bring my controversial viewpoints into the classroom. I think I've been given that label by the press. But I think the reason why my viewpoints have been considered controversial is because I'm one of the few African American intellectuals who gets any kind of coverage. All you see on television are black people playing basketball or engaging in criminal activities, and I think that's part o the entertainment package.

Editorial Reviews

Holl, who writes "L'Attitude," a travel column for New Orleans's Times-Picayune, adapted her columns to produce this book of lively prose detailing interesting things to see and fun things to do in southern Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf. Each dayride from New Orleans takes from less than one hour to four hours of travel time. Holl describes far-ranging activities such as touring historic mansions, shrimping, and watching a rodeo at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Interspersed are historical facts, places to eat, and bits of conversation with the locals. Sidebars give additional information about each site, including how to go, the best time to go, addresses and phone numbers, hours of operation, and admission fees. A tantalizing and informative book; highly recommended.Lucille Corbo, MLS, Scranton, Pa.

Library Journal