The Heart of Happy Hollow (Dover Thrift Editions) - Softcover

Dunbar, Paul Laurence

3.89

37 ratings by Goodreads

9780486496351: The Heart of Happy Hollow (Dover Thrift Editions)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 048649635X ISBN 13: 9780486496351

Publisher: Dover Publications, 2014

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Praised by The New York Times as "a true singer of the people — white or black," Paul Laurence Dunbar published this short story collection in 1904, two years before his untimely death. The son of freed slaves, Dunbar was best known for his dialect pieces as well as distinguished for his poetry and prose in standard English.
These sixteen tales of the daily lives of African Americans in the post–Civil War South examine the promise of northward migration, the horrors of lynching, and the complexity of the relationships between former slaves and masters. Highlights include "The Scapegoat," concerning a lawyer who falls prey to envious rivals; "The Mission of Mr. Scatters," the tale of a con man brought to justice; and "Old Abe's Conversion," a thought-provoking look at generational differences in religious practice.

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From the Inside Flap:

A historic collection of perceptive tales from a luminary of nineteenth-century literature
First published in 1904, "The Heart of Happy Hollow features sixteen short stories that provide rare glimpses into the lives of African Americans after the Civil War. Through characters ranging from schemers to preachers, Paul Laurence Dunbar crafted a rare snapshot of long-lost communities and their poignant sensibilities. An author who achieved remarkable versatility, he draws on language that is by turns folksy and formal, putting forth controversial vernacular dialects as easily as he delivers a hauntingly poetic scene.
In this collection, readers meet an influential entrepreneur who must navigate a treacherous political landscape; a Southern spiritual leader who must learn to accept the mores of his son, who was educated in the North; a reporter who restores hope in Santa Claus to a group of destitute siblings; and a host of other unique men and women giving voice to timeless themes.
Dunbar's work has deservingly experienced a recent revival among commercial and scholarly audiences alike, and noted scholar Eleanor Alexander, author of the critically acclaimed biography "Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow: The Courtship and Marriage of Paul Laurence Dunbar and Alice Ruth Moore further contextualizes Dunbar's contributions to American letters. A captivating read, "The Heart of Happy Hollow will introduce more book lovers to this revered storyteller and visionary.

About the Author:

Poet, novelist, and playwright, Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906) was among the nation's first widely read African-American writers. The son of freed slaves, Dunbar was best known for his dialect pieces and was distinguished for his poetry and prose in standard English.

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