A Gallery of Harlem Portraits

Fiction & Literature, Poetry, American
Cover of the book A Gallery of Harlem Portraits by Melvin B. Tolson, Melvin B. Tolson, University of Missouri Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Melvin B. Tolson, Melvin B. Tolson ISBN: 9780826273130
Publisher: University of Missouri Press Publication: October 10, 2013
Imprint: University of Missouri Language: English
Author: Melvin B. Tolson, Melvin B. Tolson
ISBN: 9780826273130
Publisher: University of Missouri Press
Publication: October 10, 2013
Imprint: University of Missouri
Language: English

A Gallery of Harlem Portraits is Melvin B. Tolson's first book-length collection of poems. It was written in the 1930s when Tolson was immersed in the writings of the Harlem Renaissance, the subject of his master's thesis at Columbia University, and will provide scholars and critics a rich insight into how Tolson's literary picture of Harlem evolved. Modeled on Edgar Lee Master's Spoon River Anthology and showing the influence of Browning and Whitman, it is rooted in the Harlem Renaissance in its fascination with Harlem's cultural and ethnic diversity and its use of musical forms. Robert M. Farnsworth's afterword elucidates these and other literary influences.

Tolson eventually attempted to incorporate the technical achievements of T.S. Eliot and the New Criticism into a complex modern poetry which would accurately represent the extraordinary tensions, paradoxes, and sophistication, both highbrow and lowbrow, of modern Harlem. As a consequence his position in literary history is problematical. The publication of this earliest of his manuscripts will help clarify Tolson's achievement and surprise many of his readers with its readily accessible, warmly human poetic portraiture.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A Gallery of Harlem Portraits is Melvin B. Tolson's first book-length collection of poems. It was written in the 1930s when Tolson was immersed in the writings of the Harlem Renaissance, the subject of his master's thesis at Columbia University, and will provide scholars and critics a rich insight into how Tolson's literary picture of Harlem evolved. Modeled on Edgar Lee Master's Spoon River Anthology and showing the influence of Browning and Whitman, it is rooted in the Harlem Renaissance in its fascination with Harlem's cultural and ethnic diversity and its use of musical forms. Robert M. Farnsworth's afterword elucidates these and other literary influences.

Tolson eventually attempted to incorporate the technical achievements of T.S. Eliot and the New Criticism into a complex modern poetry which would accurately represent the extraordinary tensions, paradoxes, and sophistication, both highbrow and lowbrow, of modern Harlem. As a consequence his position in literary history is problematical. The publication of this earliest of his manuscripts will help clarify Tolson's achievement and surprise many of his readers with its readily accessible, warmly human poetic portraiture.

More books from University of Missouri Press

Cover of the book Reminiscences of Conrad S. Babcock by Melvin B. Tolson, Melvin B. Tolson
Cover of the book The Depression Dilemmas of Rural Iowa, 1929-1933 by Melvin B. Tolson, Melvin B. Tolson
Cover of the book Politics as Leadership by Melvin B. Tolson, Melvin B. Tolson
Cover of the book Benevolence, Moral Reform, Equality by Melvin B. Tolson, Melvin B. Tolson
Cover of the book Creating Identity in the Victorian Fictional Autobiography by Melvin B. Tolson, Melvin B. Tolson
Cover of the book An Irish-American Odyssey by Melvin B. Tolson, Melvin B. Tolson
Cover of the book One of Us by Melvin B. Tolson, Melvin B. Tolson
Cover of the book Lanford Wilson by Melvin B. Tolson, Melvin B. Tolson
Cover of the book Journeys to the Edge by Melvin B. Tolson, Melvin B. Tolson
Cover of the book A Fatherless Child by Melvin B. Tolson, Melvin B. Tolson
Cover of the book Chewing Gum, Candy Bars, and Beer by Melvin B. Tolson, Melvin B. Tolson
Cover of the book Not at All What One Is Used To by Melvin B. Tolson, Melvin B. Tolson
Cover of the book Military Realism by Melvin B. Tolson, Melvin B. Tolson
Cover of the book Race and Meaning by Melvin B. Tolson, Melvin B. Tolson
Cover of the book My War in Italy by Melvin B. Tolson, Melvin B. Tolson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy