High Cotton A Novel
High Cotton by Darryl Pinckney is a debut novel published by Macmillan in February 1992, featuring 309 pages in English. The narrative begins with the introspective realization of the unnamed narrator about his identity as a Negro, exploring the complexities of life within the upper-middle-class black elite, a concept articulated by W. E. B. Du Bois as “the talented tenth.” The story traces his journey from a conservative upbringing in Indianapolis to his role as a minister of information for a radical organization, ultimately leading him to expatriate life in Paris.
Readers will find an elegant and insightful exploration of identity and heritage as the narrator reflects on the influence of his elderly African American relatives and their experiences in the South. The novel challenges traditional storytelling by blending elements of fiction and autobiography, offering a unique perspective on the intersections of race, class, and personal history. High Cotton presents a thoughtful examination of the narrator’s evolving understanding of self and society, making it a significant contribution to contemporary fiction.
Official synopsis Publisher
“‘No one sat me down and told me I was a Negro. That was something I figured out on the sly… ‘ So begins … critic and novelist Darryl Pinckney’s debut novel, High Cotton, an elegant and insightful look into the world of upper-middle-class black elite, or, in a term popularized by W. E. B. Du Bois, ‘the talented tenth.’ The story follows an unnamed narrator as he moves from his safe childhood in conservative Indianapolis to a brief tenure as minister of information for a local radical organization, to eventually settling into the life as an expatriate in Paris. Through it all, his imagination is increasingly dominated by his elderly African American relations and the lessons of their experiences in the “Old Country” of the South. Challenging the traditional form of the novel in its use of both fiction and autobiography, High Cotton … signaled the arrival of a powerful literary force in American letters”–From Amazon.com.
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