The Fiction of Leroi Jones/Amiri Baraka (Library of Black America) [Paperback]

LeRoi Jones (Author), Imamu Amiri Baraka (Author), Amiri Baraka (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2000 | Series: Library of Black America

Including 6 Persons, a previously unpublished novel; The System of Dante's Hell; and Tales, this collection also features four uncollected short stories.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Known for his poetry, plays and essays, Baraka, formerly Leroi Jones, hasn't been recognized for his searing, dense, experimental fiction, but that oversight will be corrected with this latest collection of his work. Fans of the activist-writer will immediately recall the two major segments of this volume, "Tales" and "The System of Dante's Hell," both well-received works from the 1960s. As a survey of Baraka's writings in prose, the book accurately displays the full range of the wordsmith's skills: from his bold, groundbreaking efforts as an influential member of the post-Beat Lower East Side art scene to his controversial cultural nationalism and his Marxist conversion. Although three previously uncollected short stories, "Suppose Sorrow Was a Time Machine," "Round Trip" and "the man who sold pictures of god," fail to hit the heights of quality and innovation of the yarns that follow, they hint at Baraka's potential and creative powers. Baraka exceeds those expectations in the short, explosive fragments in his 1965 "The System of Dante's Hell," notably in "Circle 7" and "Circle 8." He uses the fictional form as an autobiographical vehicle in the 1967 "Tales," reaching in the bluesy "Going Down Slow" and the classic "The Screamers." His impressive hybrid of literary styles spotlights lives defined by oppression and poverty, employing his unpredictable, jazzy, sometimes manic voice to twist Western forms to suit his ever-evolving black aesthetic. While his later "6 Persons" may not rival his earlier explorations of themes of violence, sex and race, it is still innovative in its recounting of his life from various point of views, peaking with the "I" and "They." This collection offers an excellent alternative look at one of the legends of African-American letters, frequently quite different than that revealed in his two autobiographies. (Apr.)

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka is one of the most influential and prolific African American writers of the 20th century—a poet, playwright, essayist, activist, novelist, editor, anthologist, and director.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Lawrence Hill Books (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155652353X
• ISBN-13: 978-1556523533
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,908,512 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The System of Dante's Hell, February 14, 2002

By 

Peter J Torvik Jr (38000 Grenoble France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fiction of Leroi Jones/Amiri Baraka (Library of Black America) (Paperback)

I cannot speak for this entire book, but it seems to be the only way to obtain The System of Dante's Hell these days, and this is a truly great book and a must read.

The System of Dante's Hell is a short novel in which a black soldier travels through the American south. Like Dante in hell, Jones/Baraka's tour shows you this hell from the outside, but not really from the outside. Anyway, the book is brilliant.