false 178530 3 No other contemporary novel received the volume and intensity of criticism and curiosity that greeted "Nigger Heaven" upon its publication in 1926. Carl Van Vechten's novel generated a storm of controversy because of its scandalous title and fed an insatiable hunger on the part of the reading public for material relating to the black culture of Harlem's jazz clubs, cabarets, and social events. 'The book and not the title is the thing', James Weldon Johnson insisted with regard to "Nigger Heaven", and the book is indeed a nuanced and vibrant portrait of 'the great black walled city' of Harlem. Opening on a scene of tawdry sensationalism, "Nigger Heaven" shifts decisively to a world of black middle-class respectability, defined by intellectual values, professional ambition, and an acute consciousness of class and racial identity.Here is a Harlem where upper-class elites discuss art in well-appointed drawing rooms; rowdy and lascivious drunks spend long nights in jazz clubs and speakeasies; and, politically conscious young intellectuals drink coffee and debate 'the race problem' in walk-up apartments. At the center of the story, two young people - a quiet, serious librarian and a volatile aspiring writer - struggle to love each other as their dreams are slowly suffocated by racism. This reissue is based on the seventh printing, which included poetry composed by Langston Hughes especially for the book. Kathleen Pfeiffer's astute introduction investigates the controversy surrounding the shocking title and shows how the novel functioned in its time as a site to contest racial violence. She also signals questions of racial authenticity and racial identity raised by a novel about black culture written by a white admirer of that culture. 172470 1926 Nigger Heaven (National Poetry Series) total:25|5:1|4:10|3:10|2:2|1:2| 25 81 43 3 3 1 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 10 14:58:21 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 10 19:04:47 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu May 24 17:08:11 -0700 2007 Thu May 24 17:08:17 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Oct 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 17 13:10:53 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 24 07:24:17 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Thu Sep 24 18:18:30 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 24 18:18:30 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Sep 16 05:37:14 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 16 05:37:14 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Tue Sep 15 13:18:53 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 15 13:18:53 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Aug 31 14:43:12 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 31 14:43:12 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Aug 01 18:05:46 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 01 18:05:46 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Jul 20 10:09:05 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 20 10:09:05 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Thu Apr 09 20:26:02 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 09 20:26:02 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Thu Apr 02 08:13:29 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 29 22:04:59 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 02 08:13:29 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Mar 16 08:52:30 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 16 08:52:30 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun Mar 15 10:47:13 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 15 10:47:13 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Feb 27 14:05:03 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 27 14:05:03 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sat Feb 21 12:38:51 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 21 12:38:51 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Tue Sep 15 17:53:40 -0700 2009 Wed Feb 18 18:15:58 -0800 2009 Tue Sep 15 17:53:40 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jan 26 23:53:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 26 23:53:00 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Fri Jan 23 15:05:49 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 23 15:05:49 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Mon Jan 12 19:49:47 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 19:49:47 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sat Dec 13 15:01:51 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 13 15:01:51 -0800 2008