Zora Neale Hurston: Critical Perspectives Past and Present (Amistad Literary Series) [Hardcover]

Henry Louis Gates (Author, Editor), Kwame Anthony Appiah (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Amistad Literary Series | Publication Date: February 1993

Zora Neale Hurston(1891 -- 1960) 

Of the various signs that the study of literature in America has been transformed, none is more salient than is the resurrection and canonization of Zora Neale Hurston. Twenty years ago, Hurston's work was largely out-of-print, her literary legacy alive only to a tiny, devoted band of readers who were often forced to photocopy her works if they were to be taught ... Today her works are central to the canon of African-American, American, and Women's literatures ... The author of four novels, Jonah's Gourd Vine (1934), Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937),Moses, Man of the Mountain (1939), and Seraph on the Suwanee (1948); two books of folklore -- Mules and Men (1935) and Tell My Horse (1938); an autobiography, Dust Tracks On a Road (1942); and over 50 short stories, essays, and plays, Hurston was one of the most widely acclaimed Black authors for the two decades between 1925 and 1945.

-- from the Preface by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

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

Product Details

• Hardcover: 330 pages
• Publisher: Amistad Pr; First Edition edition (February 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567430155
• ISBN-13: 978-1567430158
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,330,526 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wide ranging views of a fascinating writer's work, November 11, 2003

By 

David Ciaffardini (Oceano, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Zora neale Hurston: Critical Perspectives Past And Present (Amistad Literary Series) (Paperback)

Anyone doing critical literary study of Zora Neal Hurston and her writing will find this book a must read. And just plain fans of her work, who happen to have a scholarly nature, will likely find something of interest here as well, if it be only the reprints of various reviews of Hurston's books from the time of their original publication in the 1930s and 1940s. After the 34 pages of book reviews, at the heart of the book are 14 critical essays on Hurston's work from 14 different scholars. Also includes a brief chronology of Hurston's life, a bibliography, and an index. All in all, a lot of perspectives and commentary and scholarship all brought together in a compact volume that would be especially useful for scholars studying American literature, Black Studies, or Women's Studies.