'Janie Stark, la protagonista del romanzo più celebre di Zora Neale Hurston, sembra un'avventuriera sospesa tra le riflessioni del femminismo contemporaneo e una dimensione ancestrale, in cui la sopraffazione di una donna nera si riflette anche nell'ecosistema, in questo romanzo vorticoso fatto di viaggi e uragani. Difficile credere che Janie sia nata ufficialmente nel 1937, l'anno in cui Their Eyes Were Watching God venne pubblicato per la prima volta negli Stati Uniti, tanto sono vivide le impressioni sulla sua battaglia di vita. In un'atmosfera tesa tra l'incanto primaverile e la schiacciante realtà, Janie Stark prova a ricavarsi una nicchia che vada bene per lei e lei soltanto. Nel romanzo è una donna nera di quarant'anni intenta a raccontarsi a un'amica attraverso degli squarci nel passato. Nel tentativo di motivare le scelte che le hanno procurato il biasimo della città, Janie ricorda la scoperta della bellezza quando era un'adolescente; il primo dolore nel piegarsi alle decisioni altrui; il matrimonio infelice con un uomo che la voleva diversa; la fuga con Joe - uomo ambizioso e di sostanza, deciso a diventare qualcuno - che poi si dimostra arrogante e violento; e infine la vera primavera: l'incontro con il giovane Tea Cake, forse la sua unica esperienza d'amore. Insieme, Janie e Tea Cake attraversano il paese, si reinventano come raccoglitori stagionali di fagioli, sfidando le convenzioni e beandosi della gioia di un amore autentico. Eppure anche lui è in preda a gelosie incontrollabili e, quando un uragano li colpisce, Janie sarà costretta a decretare la fine di qu

Nel 1927 Zora Neale Hurston si recò a Plateau, in Alabama, per intervistare Cudjo Lewis, un sopravvissuto della 'Clotilda', l'ultima nave negriera sbarcata in America. Cudjo era l'unico testimone ancora in vita della «tratta atlantica» degli schiavi africani, una pagina fondamentale ma spesso rimossa della storia americana. Nel 1931, determinata a conoscere meglio le peripezie della «sua gente», la Hurston tornò a Plateau per raccogliere la storia completa di Lewis che, tra scorpacciate di pesche e cocomeri, le raccontò le circostanze della sua cattura per mano dei guerrieri del Dahomey, la prigionia nel «barracoon», la traversata dell'oceano, il lavoro nei campi fino allo scoppio della Guerra Civile, e la fondazione di Africatown.

One of the most important essays about the African-American experience in the United States is Zora Neale Hurston's How It Feels To Be Colored Me, originally published in The World Tomorrow in May 1928. Hurston's was an original voice in the first half of the 20th century. As she reflects on her early childhood in an all-black Florida town, and her first experiences in later life feeling "different," Hurston largely focuses on the similarities we all share and on her own self-respect and identity. "Through it all, I remain myself." This short work is part of Applewood’s "American Roots" series, tactile mementoes of American passions by some of America’s most famous writers and thinkers.

These tales are so tall they touch the sky! From Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Honor artist Christopher Myers and Zora Neale Hurston.

While traveling in the Gulf States in the 1930s, Zora Neale Hurston collected and recorded some real whoppers told by folks from all walks of life. Not 'dog ate my homework' kind of lies, but tales so wild you didn't ever want to hear the truth. And now today's picture book readers can enjoy these far-fetched fibs with Christopher Myers's spirited adaption and bold, expressive collages.

First published in 1942 at the height of her popularity, Dust Tracks on a Road is Zora Neale Hurston?s candid, funny, bold, and poignant autobiography, an imaginative and exuberant account of her rise from childhood poverty in the rural South to a prominent place among the leading artists and intellectuals of the Harlem Renaissance. As compelling as her acclaimed fiction, Hurston?s very personal literary self-portrait offers a revealing, often audacious glimpse into the life?public and private?of an extraordinary artist, anthropologist, chronicler, and champion of the Black experience in America. Full of the wit and wisdom of a proud, spirited woman who started off low and climbed high, Dust Tracks on a Road is a rare treasure from one of literature?s most cherished voices.

Janie Stark, donna di colore di qurant'anni, rievoca la storia della sua tormentata vita. Sposata a un uomo molto più grande di lei Janie fugge per finire tra le braccia di Joe, furbo e ambizioso, che ben presto diventa un potente commerciante. Condannata a subire i soprusi di Joe, rivelatosi arrogante e violento, Janie decide di fuggire di nuovo quando incontra Tea Cake, per ricominciare una nuova vita. Ma la sorte si accanisce contro di lei, e sarà proprio Janie, quando un cane rabbioso morde Tea Cake, a dover mettere fine alle sofferenze del ragazzo con un colpo di fucile. Solo dopo aver subito un processo infamante, Janie ritorna al suo paese natale, dove vivrà nel ricordo di una felicità perduta.

In this 1939 novel based on the familiar story of the Exodus, Zora Neale Hurston blends the Moses of the Old Testament with the Moses of black folklore and song to create a compelling allegory of power, redemption, and faith. Narrated in a mixture of biblical rhetoric, black dialect, and colloquial English, Hurston traces Moses's life from the day he is launched into the Nile river in a reed basket, to his development as a great magician, to his transformation into the heroic rebel leader, the Great Emancipator. From his dramatic confrontations with Pharaoh to his fragile negotiations with the wary Hebrews, this very human story is told with great humor, passion, and psychological insight—the hallmarks of Hurston as a writer and champion of black culture.

Based on acclaimed author Zora Neale Hurston's personal experiences in Haiti and Jamaica—where she participated as an initiate rather than just an observer during her visits in the 1930s—Tell My Horse is a fascinating firsthand account of the mysteries of Voodoo. An invaluable resource and remarkable guide to Voodoo practices, rituals, and beliefs, it is a travelogue into a dark, mystical world that offers a vividly authentic picture of ceremonies, customs, and superstitions.

The only collaboration between the two brightest lights of the Harlem Renaissance—Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes

In 1930, two giants of African American literature joined forces to create a lively, insightful, often wildly farcical look inside a rural Southern black community—the three-act play Mule Bone. In this hilarious story, Jim and Dave are a struggling song-and-dance team, and when a woman comes between them, chaos ensues in their tiny Florida hometown. This extraordinary theatrical work broke new ground while triggering a bitter controversy between the collaborators that kept it out of the public eye for sixty years.

This edition of the rarely seen stage classic features Hurston's original short story, 'The Bone of Contention,' as well as the complete recounting of the acrimonious literary dispute that prevented Mule Bone from being produced or published until decades after the authors' deaths.

Acclaimed for her pitch-perfect accounts of rural black life and culture, Zora Neale Hurston explores new territory with her novel Seraph on the Suwanee—a story of two people at once deeply in love and deeply at odds, set among the community of 'Florida Crackers' at the turn of the twentieth century. Full of insights into the nature of love, attraction, faith, and loyalty, it follows young Arvay Henson, convinced she will never find true happiness, as she defends herself from unwanted suitors with hysterical fits and religious fervor. But into her life comes bright and enterprising Jim Meserve, who knows that Arvay is the woman for him, and nothing she can do will dissuade him.

Alive with the same passion and understanding of the human heart that made Their Eyes Were Watching God a classic, Hurston's Seraph on the Suwanee masterfully explores the evolution of a marriage and the conflicting desires of an unforgettable young woman in search of herself and her place in the world.

Acclaimed for her pitch-perfect accounts of rural black life and culture, Zora Neale Hurston explores new territory with her novel Seraph on the Suwanee—a story of two people at once deeply in love and deeply at odds, set among the community of 'Florida Crackers' at the turn of the twentieth century. Full of insights into the nature of love, attraction, faith, and loyalty, it follows young Arvay Henson, convinced she will never find true happiness, as she defends herself from unwanted suitors with hysterical fits and religious fervor. But into her life comes bright and enterprising Jim Meserve, who knows that Arvay is the woman for him, and nothing she can do will dissuade him.

Alive with the same passion and understanding of the human heart that made Their Eyes Were Watching God a classic, Hurston's Seraph on the Suwanee masterfully explores the evolution of a marriage and the conflicting desires of an unforgettable young woman in search of herself and her place in the world.

Though she died penniless and forgotten, Zora Neale Hurston is now recognized as a major figure in African American literature. Best known for her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, she also published numerous short stories and essays, three other novels, and two books on black folklore. Even avid readers of Hurston's prose, however, may be surprised to know that she was also a serious and ambitious playwright throughout her career. Although several of her plays were produced during her lifetime-and some to public acclaim-they have languished in obscurity for years. Even now, most critics and historians gloss over these texts, treating them as supplementary material for understanding her novels. Yet, Hurston's dramatic works stand on their own merits and independently of her fiction. Now, eleven of these forgotten dramatic writings are being published together for the first time in this carefully edited and annotated volume. Filled with lively characters, vibrant images of rural and city life, biblical and folk tales, voodoo, and, most importantly, the blues, readers will discover a 'real Negro theater' that embraces all the richness of black life.

One of the most important works of twentieth-century American literature, Zora Neale Hurston's beloved 1937 classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is an enduring Southern love story sparkling with wit, beauty, and heartfelt wisdom. Told in the captivating voice of a woman who refuses to live in sorrow, bitterness, fear, or foolish romantic dreams, it is the story of fair-skinned, fiercely independent Janie Crawford, and her evolving selfhood through three marriages and a life marked by poverty, trials, and purpose. A true literary wonder, Hurston's masterwork remains as relevant and affecting today as when it was first published -- perhaps the most widely read and highly regarded novel in the entire canon of African American literature.

This landmark gathering of Zora Neale Hurston's short fiction—most of which appeared only in literary magazines during her lifetime—reveals the evolution of one of the most important African American writers. Spanning her career from 1921 to 1955, these stories attest to Hurston's tremendous range and establish themes that recur in her longer fiction. With rich language and imagery, the stories in this collection not only map Hurston's development and concerns as a writer but also provide an invaluable reflection of the mind and imagination of the author of the acclaimed novel Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Jonah's Gourd Vine, Zora Neale Hurston's first novel, originally published in 1934, tells the story of John Buddy Pearson, 'a living exultation' of a young man who loves too many women for his own good. Lucy, his long-suffering wife, is his true love, but there's also Mehaley and Big 'Oman, as well as the scheming Hattie, who conjures hoodoo spells to ensure his attentions. Even after becoming the popular pastor of Zion Hope, where his sermons and prayers for cleansing rouse the congregation's fervor, John has to confess that though he is a preacher on Sundays, he is a 'natchel man' the rest of the week. And so in this sympathetic portrait of a man and his community, Zora Neale Hurston shows that faith, tolerance, and good intentions cannot resolve the tension between the spiritual and the physical. That she makes this age-old dilemma come so alive is a tribute to her understanding of the vagaries of human nature.

Mules and Men is a treasury of black America's folklore as collected by a famous storyteller and anthropologist who grew up hearing the songs and sermons, sayings and tall tales that have formed an oral history of the South since the time of slavery. Returning to her hometown of Eatonville, Florida, to gather material, Zora Neale Hurston recalls 'a hilarious night with a pinch of everything social mixed with the storytelling.' Set intimately within the social context of black life, the stories, 'big old lies,' songs, Vodou customs, and superstitions recorded in these pages capture the imagination and bring back to life the humor and wisdom that is the unique heritage of African Americans.

One of the most important works of twentieth-century American literature, Zora Neale Hurston's beloved 1937 classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is an enduring Southern love story sparkling with wit, beauty, and heartfelt wisdom. Told in the captivating voice of a woman who refuses to live in sorrow, bitterness, fear, or foolish romantic dreams, it is the story of fair-skinned, fiercely independent Janie Crawford, and her evolving selfhood through three marriages and a life marked by poverty, trials, and purpose. A true literary wonder, Hurston's masterwork remains as relevant and affecting today as when it was first published -- perhaps the most widely read and highly regarded novel in the entire canon of African American literature.

One of the most important works of twentieth-century American literature, Zora Neale Hurston's beloved 1937 classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is an enduring Southern love story sparkling with wit, beauty, and heartfelt wisdom. Told in the captivating voice of a woman who refuses to live in sorrow, bitterness, fear, or foolish romantic dreams, it is the story of fair-skinned, fiercely independent Janie Crawford, and her evolving selfhood through three marriages and a life marked by poverty, trials, and purpose. A true literary wonder, Hurston's masterwork remains as relevant and affecting today as when it was first published -- perhaps the most widely read and highly regarded novel in the entire canon of African American literature.