From âmaster of languageâ (The New York Times) John Edgar Wideman, a reissue of the revered trilogy that launched his careerâtwo novels and story collection all set in Widemanâs own hometown.
Damballah, Hiding Place, and Sent for You Yesterday provide a stunning introduction to the uncompromising work of John Edgar Wideman, whose literary achievements have inspired The New York Times to name him âone of Americaâs premier writers of fiction.â
Damballahâs narratives examine the vexed history of Homewood, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania neighborhood whose origins are rooted in a time when slavery was still legal in the United States of America. The novels Hiding Place and Sent for You Yesterday personalize and interrogate that historyâs presence in the contemporary lives of Homewood people and all Americans.
Deeply concerned that designations such as âeconomically oppressedâ or âBlackâ continue to dismiss and marginalize rather than embrace communities like the one in which he was raised, John Edgar Widemanâemploying words on the page as his weaponâhas dedicated himself to recording the weight, beauty, complexity, and justice that he believes Homewoodâs voices, stories, and lives have earned and deserve.
In 1983, The Homewood Trilogy signaled the arrival of a major voice in American literature. Forty years later, this edition of the Trilogy celebrates Widemanâs ongoing contribution by offering these masterworks to a new generation of readers.