| The Known World Contributor(s): Jones, Edward P. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0061159174 ISBN-13: 9780061159176 Publisher: Amistad Press OUR PRICE: $16.14 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: August 2006 Annotation: One of the most acclaimed novels in recent memory, "The Known World" is a daring and ambitious work by Pulitzer Prize winner Edward P. Jones. "The Known World" tells the story of Henry Townsend, a black farmer and former slave who falls under the tutelage of William Robbins, the most powerful man in Manchester County, Virginia. Making certain he never circumvents the law, Townsend runs his affairs with unusual discipline. But when death takes him unexpectedly, his widow, Caldonia, can't uphold the estate's order, and chaos ensues. Jones has woven a footnote of history into an epic that takes an unflinching look at slavery in all its moral complexities. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Literary - Fiction | Historical - General - Fiction | African American - Historical |
| Dewey: FIC |
| Physical Information: 1.26" H x 5.56" W x 8.29" (0.98 lbs) 432 pages |
| Themes: - Ethnic Orientation - African American - Chronological Period - 19th Century - Cultural Region - South Atlantic - Geographic Orientation - Virginia - Cultural Region - Southeast U.S. |
| Accelerated Reader Info |
| Quiz #: 73563 Reading Level: 5.8 Interest Level: Upper Grades Point Value: 22.0 |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: From National Book Award-nominated author Edward P. Jones comes a debut novel of stunning emotional depth and unequaled literary power Henry Townsend, a farmer, boot maker, and former slave, through the surprising twists and unforeseen turns of life in antebellum Virginia, becomes proprietor of his own plantation--as well his own slaves. When he dies, his widow Caldonia succumbs to profound grief, and things begin to fall apart at their plantation: slaves take to escaping under the cover of night, and families who had once found love under the weight of slavery begin to betray one another. Beyond the Townsend household, the known world also unravels: low-paid white patrollers stand watch as slave “speculators” sell free black people into slavery, and rumors of slave rebellions set white families against slaves who have served them for years. An ambitious, courageous, luminously written masterwork, The Known World seamlessly weaves the lives of the freed and the enslaved--and allows all of us a deeper understanding of the enduring multidimensional world created by the institution of slavery. The Known World not only marks the return of an extraordinarily gifted writer, it heralds the publication of a remarkable contribution to the canon of American classic literature. |
Contributor Bio(s): Jones, Edward P.: - Edward P. Jones, the New York Times bestselling author, has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize, for fiction, the National Book Critics Circle award, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and the Lannan Literary Award for The Known World; he also received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2004. His first collection of stories, Lost in the City, won the PEN/Hemingway Award and was short listed for the National Book Award. His second collection, All Aunt Hagar's Children, was a finalist for the Pen/Faulkner Award. He has been an instructor of fiction writing at a range of universities, including Princeton. He lives in Washington, D.C. |