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Nigger Heaven
A controversial but appealing, amusing, and vivacious celebration of Harlem and the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920’s
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.
Carl Van Vechten was a photographer and the author of numerous works of fiction and non-fiction. Kathleen Pfeiffer is an assistant professor of English at Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan.
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.
Carl Van Vechten was a photographer and the author of numerous works of fiction and non-fiction. Kathleen Pfeiffer is an assistant professor of English at Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1926
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874 people want to read
About the author
Carl van Vechten
142 books29 followersCarl van Vechten (B.A., University of Chicago, 1903) was a photographer, music-dance critic, novelist, and patron of the Harlem Renaissance who served as literary executor for Gertrude Stein.
Van Vechten was among the most influential literary figures of the 1910s and 1920s. He began his career in journalism as a reporter, then in 1906 joined The New York Times as assistant music critic and later worked as its Paris correspondent. His early reviews are collected in Interpreters and Interpretations (1917 and 1920) and Excavations: A Book of Advocacies (1926). His first novel, Peter Whiffle (1922), a first-person account of the salon and bohemian culture of New York and Paris and clearly drawn from Van Vechten's own experiences, and was immensely popular. His most controversial work of fiction is Nigger Heaven (1926), notable for its depiction of black life in Harlem in the 1920s and its sympathetic treatment of the newly emerging black culture.
In the 1930s, Van Vechten turned from fiction to photography. His photographs are in collections at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and elsewhere. An important literary patron, he established the James Weldon Johnson Collection of Negro Arts and Letters at Yale.
Van Vechten was among the most influential literary figures of the 1910s and 1920s. He began his career in journalism as a reporter, then in 1906 joined The New York Times as assistant music critic and later worked as its Paris correspondent. His early reviews are collected in Interpreters and Interpretations (1917 and 1920) and Excavations: A Book of Advocacies (1926). His first novel, Peter Whiffle (1922), a first-person account of the salon and bohemian culture of New York and Paris and clearly drawn from Van Vechten's own experiences, and was immensely popular. His most controversial work of fiction is Nigger Heaven (1926), notable for its depiction of black life in Harlem in the 1920s and its sympathetic treatment of the newly emerging black culture.
In the 1930s, Van Vechten turned from fiction to photography. His photographs are in collections at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and elsewhere. An important literary patron, he established the James Weldon Johnson Collection of Negro Arts and Letters at Yale.
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February 5, 2019
A vivid novel set during the Harlem Renaissance that
affronted some because of its title, which refers to the
top theatre balcony reserved for blacks. (Decades later
no one minded when Dick Gregory's autobio was called
"Nigger!") CVV pens the doomed romance of an elevator
operator... Civil rights leader James Weldon Johnson said
it was "the most powerful novel of Negro life yet written."
CVV, perhaps the first to open his salon to blacks, was
close friends with Ethel Waters, Langston Hughes. He wrote that black American folksongs were "the most important America has made to music." We know today that CVV had intermezzos w bubbling brown sugar, as others seek oatmeal or peppermint.
The novel brought some hysterical condemnation (as it does today.) James Weldon Johnson wrote CVV, "Has anyone ever written it down that you have been one of the most vital factors in bringing about the artistic emergence of the Negro in America? Well -- I am glad to bear witness."
affronted some because of its title, which refers to the
top theatre balcony reserved for blacks. (Decades later
no one minded when Dick Gregory's autobio was called
"Nigger!") CVV pens the doomed romance of an elevator
operator... Civil rights leader James Weldon Johnson said
it was "the most powerful novel of Negro life yet written."
CVV, perhaps the first to open his salon to blacks, was
close friends with Ethel Waters, Langston Hughes. He wrote that black American folksongs were "the most important America has made to music." We know today that CVV had intermezzos w bubbling brown sugar, as others seek oatmeal or peppermint.
The novel brought some hysterical condemnation (as it does today.) James Weldon Johnson wrote CVV, "Has anyone ever written it down that you have been one of the most vital factors in bringing about the artistic emergence of the Negro in America? Well -- I am glad to bear witness."
June 26, 2016
"A white prostitute can go places where a colored preacher would be refused admittance."
Quite apart from my own opinion as to the relative merits of white hookers versus black men of the cloth (I would probably respect most whores over preachers of any color), we get the real point that Carl Van Vechten is driving at in the above statement. His 1926 pro-racial-tolerance novel, Nigger Heaven abounds in such provocative observations, and despite concerns and confusions about appropriation, exploitation or authenticity that confront a reader in thinking about a novel that purports to be about black Harlem culture despite its being written by a white author the book itself seems well researched and authentic.
Indeed, Langston Hughes himself wrote the numerous poetic interludes interspersed throughout. At one point in the book Hughes and van Vechten even pull off a funny inside joke, in which one of the characters mentions Hughes as a promising young poet, whereby one of Hughes' poems is quoted and is assessed by one of the black characters thusly: "I see it's only bus-boy bunk. He don't understand his race."
The novel, if nothing else, is a vibrant depiction of 1920s Manhattan life, and some of the characters have obvious origins in real-life artistic figures of the day. The notorious trans-continental entertainer, Lasca Sartoris -- noted partly for nude appearances in Europe -- is modeled partly on Josephine Baker. The publisher, Russett Durwood, who flamboyantly rejects the short story submitted for publication by the novel's primary male character, Byron Kasson, is based on H.L. Mencken.
The story itself is pretty basic. Mary Love is a free-thinking young librarian just getting by in New York, despairing at the low literary tastes of biblio patrons who constantly request Zane Grey novels. She and her roommate Olive support each other while negotiating the hazards that beset two young black women in the big city, and through some luck have convenient associations with some of the more powerful figures in Harlem, although the attentions of the rough-edged gambling king, Randolph Pettijohn, are unwanted. Eventually Mary's romantic reserve melts away with the attentions of young Byron Kasson, an aspiring writer with a huge chip on his shoulder and an aversion to charity that compounds his poverty and anger. Foolishly he becomes enamored of the charms of Lasca in spite of Mary's dogged faithfulness to him.
Within the framework of that typical story is woven a very vivid and historically valuable look at the lifestyles and issues of black New York during the Harlem Renaissance.
I liked the book and only in a couple of instances did I find anything in it of questionable taste. Vechten was chastised by many, including his own family for sticking to his provocative book title, and it is that title that remains difficult for many to deal with. For the record, "Nigger Heaven" refers to the upper gallery of a theater, where the black patrons are consigned. It is a perch from which they, for once, were "over" their white fellow citizens. It also means Harlem itself, referred to also as the "Mecca of the New Negro."
-------
(KR@Ky, with some corrections and minor additions in 2016)
Quite apart from my own opinion as to the relative merits of white hookers versus black men of the cloth (I would probably respect most whores over preachers of any color), we get the real point that Carl Van Vechten is driving at in the above statement. His 1926 pro-racial-tolerance novel, Nigger Heaven abounds in such provocative observations, and despite concerns and confusions about appropriation, exploitation or authenticity that confront a reader in thinking about a novel that purports to be about black Harlem culture despite its being written by a white author the book itself seems well researched and authentic.
Indeed, Langston Hughes himself wrote the numerous poetic interludes interspersed throughout. At one point in the book Hughes and van Vechten even pull off a funny inside joke, in which one of the characters mentions Hughes as a promising young poet, whereby one of Hughes' poems is quoted and is assessed by one of the black characters thusly: "I see it's only bus-boy bunk. He don't understand his race."
The novel, if nothing else, is a vibrant depiction of 1920s Manhattan life, and some of the characters have obvious origins in real-life artistic figures of the day. The notorious trans-continental entertainer, Lasca Sartoris -- noted partly for nude appearances in Europe -- is modeled partly on Josephine Baker. The publisher, Russett Durwood, who flamboyantly rejects the short story submitted for publication by the novel's primary male character, Byron Kasson, is based on H.L. Mencken.
The story itself is pretty basic. Mary Love is a free-thinking young librarian just getting by in New York, despairing at the low literary tastes of biblio patrons who constantly request Zane Grey novels. She and her roommate Olive support each other while negotiating the hazards that beset two young black women in the big city, and through some luck have convenient associations with some of the more powerful figures in Harlem, although the attentions of the rough-edged gambling king, Randolph Pettijohn, are unwanted. Eventually Mary's romantic reserve melts away with the attentions of young Byron Kasson, an aspiring writer with a huge chip on his shoulder and an aversion to charity that compounds his poverty and anger. Foolishly he becomes enamored of the charms of Lasca in spite of Mary's dogged faithfulness to him.
Within the framework of that typical story is woven a very vivid and historically valuable look at the lifestyles and issues of black New York during the Harlem Renaissance.
I liked the book and only in a couple of instances did I find anything in it of questionable taste. Vechten was chastised by many, including his own family for sticking to his provocative book title, and it is that title that remains difficult for many to deal with. For the record, "Nigger Heaven" refers to the upper gallery of a theater, where the black patrons are consigned. It is a perch from which they, for once, were "over" their white fellow citizens. It also means Harlem itself, referred to also as the "Mecca of the New Negro."
-------
(KR@Ky, with some corrections and minor additions in 2016)
April 7, 2016
Read this for my Harlem Renaissance class. Would only recommend it to someone interested in the history of the time period, because it was an important text - credited with exposing the Renaissance to a broader audience. As a literary work, it's strange, clunky in parts, and somewhat boring.
January 7, 2018
Controversial from its publication, Nigger Heaven has largely been relegated to the pile of offensive literary novelties: a white man writing entirely from the perspective of blacks was untoward in 1926 and it continues to leave a bad taste in the mouths of many modern critics. That being said, Nigger Heaven does present an unusual perspective on a unique time - the Harlem Renaissance - with some value as an approach, not to black life during the early 20th century, but to the white intelligentsia's perspectives on it.
The plot of Nigger Heaven is fairly straightforward, devolving at times into melodrama. Its value lies in the conversations between characters, meant to reflect to the audience contemporary black opinions, regarding politics, the "race problem," arts, and entertainment. Carl van Vechten based these insights on a summer he spent in the company of Langston Hughes, who contributed to Nigger Heaven in the form of musical asides, and while one questions the extent they reflect what affluent Northern blacks thought of themselves, they certainly help to indicate what affluent Northern whites thought that affluent Northern blacks thought of themselves. This meta-textual awareness is a defining, and rather interesting, component of Nigger Heaven, although one does wonder if the author stating that he is aware of the failings of his novel justifies those failings.
Self-awareness, however, does little to ameliorate the systemic problems in Nigger Heaven. While van Vechten, perhaps out of sheer audacity, is able to convincingly provide a persistent narrative voice, with occasional flashes of brilliance, the story that voice is telling is predictable and largely uninspired. Characters are flat and caricaturist, and while van Vechten may have been attempting to employ archetypes, the results ring hollow. Finally, Nigger Heaven never achieves the insight into the black experience in 1926, or in America in general for that matter, to become something remarkable. Instead, it remains a novelty.
But novelties have value. I would consider Nigger Heaven necessary reading for anyone interested in the literary milieu of the Harlem Renaissance; fans of Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston will find something to especially enjoy.
The plot of Nigger Heaven is fairly straightforward, devolving at times into melodrama. Its value lies in the conversations between characters, meant to reflect to the audience contemporary black opinions, regarding politics, the "race problem," arts, and entertainment. Carl van Vechten based these insights on a summer he spent in the company of Langston Hughes, who contributed to Nigger Heaven in the form of musical asides, and while one questions the extent they reflect what affluent Northern blacks thought of themselves, they certainly help to indicate what affluent Northern whites thought that affluent Northern blacks thought of themselves. This meta-textual awareness is a defining, and rather interesting, component of Nigger Heaven, although one does wonder if the author stating that he is aware of the failings of his novel justifies those failings.
Self-awareness, however, does little to ameliorate the systemic problems in Nigger Heaven. While van Vechten, perhaps out of sheer audacity, is able to convincingly provide a persistent narrative voice, with occasional flashes of brilliance, the story that voice is telling is predictable and largely uninspired. Characters are flat and caricaturist, and while van Vechten may have been attempting to employ archetypes, the results ring hollow. Finally, Nigger Heaven never achieves the insight into the black experience in 1926, or in America in general for that matter, to become something remarkable. Instead, it remains a novelty.
But novelties have value. I would consider Nigger Heaven necessary reading for anyone interested in the literary milieu of the Harlem Renaissance; fans of Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston will find something to especially enjoy.
June 11, 2016
For such a provocative title and all the controversy surrounding its initial publication, Carl Van Vechten's Nigger Heaven is a rather mainstream novel. I doubt it would have been so controversial had it been given a different title or published by a black writer. Written from the perspective of two lovers, Mary and Byron, the novel introduces a host of characters who represent the full social, economic, and cultural sweep of Harlem in the 1920s. Van Vechten tackles topics ranging from passing to the impossibility of upward mobility in careers or in the social world. The novel is written as an insider's view, but often feels awkward and patronizing at many moments. (Much like the title itself, come to think of it, despite Van Vechten's ironic intentions.) I do give Van Vechten credit for attempting to write a novel that relates the black experience in America, but I often found myself comparing it to better works written by black writers during the '20's and earlier. Van Vechten even acknowledges this difficulty, with two characters discussing the possibility of a black writer ever writing a novel from a white perspective. As one character mentions, this was attempted by Charles W. Chesnutt years earlier. With several mentions of Chesnutt throughout the novel, perhaps Van Vechten is trying to position himself as the white Chesnutt, or at the very least attempting to justify writing a novel from the perspective of characters of a different race. It's no surprise that this is exactly the problem encountered in the novel by Byron, a black writer who struggles to get a manuscript published that explores the perspective of white characters. The Byron section of the novel is the most memorable, whether it's because Van Vechten identifies with him more than with Mary or because these are the chapters that catapult the novel to its violent conclusion. Although this novel is worth reading for Van Vechten's unique insight on Harlem, there are better works of fiction on the topic.
February 11, 2008
One of the characters in this book says, "It isn't the story that counts; it's the treatment." She is telling her boyfriend, a writer, that the story he intends to write is going to be hard to write as real, instead of as propaganda - this book's term for sensational stereotypical tales of the New Negro. Ultimately, I don't think that Van Vechten pulls off the treatment here, and the story he tells reads a bit too much like propanda. There are some really wonderful parts, but at other moments the characters are moving the story along in stilted dialogue and unlikely behavior.
Still, I think that what Van Vechten set out to do here is interesting, even if ultimately he failed. An interesting read.
Still, I think that what Van Vechten set out to do here is interesting, even if ultimately he failed. An interesting read.
March 21, 2012
I kind of don't know what to say about this book. A review by a white guy of a book about Black culture in Harlem during the early 20th century that was written by a gay white man.
Despite my difficulty in talking about N-word Heaven as I was reading it, I really liked and enjoyed this book. I don't have any idea whether it was an accurate portrayal of Harlem or the experience of being Black in the time period, but it seemed a fair and I liked the writing. It deals with the issues of trying to find employment, passing, and class friction within the Black community in a way that feels believable, but it's just not an area I feel I can assess with any authority.
Other reviewers felt the book was propaganda or overly polemical, but I didn't feel beaten over the head by his portrayal of characters from all walks of life, it just seemed reasonable. The backdrop of Harlem ranges from meetings of elite young intellectuals, to the cabarets and dances of varying reputability. At the time it was written I am sure it was more controversial, but read today I think the story stands up well enough to justify the characters.
In the end, if the racial issues are put aside, its a pretty basic love story. Quiet librarian girl falls for struggling young writer, drama ensues. The book is written in two parts, the first focusing on the librarian, the second on the writer.
Personal aside: I haven't read anything much else from the Harlem renaissance, and this book made me feel I should read some more. When I started this book I realized that I was picturing several of the characters in my head as white people, because that's who I am usually reading about, and I had to stop and change what I was doing. I feel awkward about that, and about this book being written by a white man, so while I really liked it, I am a bit uncomfortable with reading it without comparing it to anything else from that period.
Despite my difficulty in talking about N-word Heaven as I was reading it, I really liked and enjoyed this book. I don't have any idea whether it was an accurate portrayal of Harlem or the experience of being Black in the time period, but it seemed a fair and I liked the writing. It deals with the issues of trying to find employment, passing, and class friction within the Black community in a way that feels believable, but it's just not an area I feel I can assess with any authority.
Other reviewers felt the book was propaganda or overly polemical, but I didn't feel beaten over the head by his portrayal of characters from all walks of life, it just seemed reasonable. The backdrop of Harlem ranges from meetings of elite young intellectuals, to the cabarets and dances of varying reputability. At the time it was written I am sure it was more controversial, but read today I think the story stands up well enough to justify the characters.
In the end, if the racial issues are put aside, its a pretty basic love story. Quiet librarian girl falls for struggling young writer, drama ensues. The book is written in two parts, the first focusing on the librarian, the second on the writer.
Personal aside: I haven't read anything much else from the Harlem renaissance, and this book made me feel I should read some more. When I started this book I realized that I was picturing several of the characters in my head as white people, because that's who I am usually reading about, and I had to stop and change what I was doing. I feel awkward about that, and about this book being written by a white man, so while I really liked it, I am a bit uncomfortable with reading it without comparing it to anything else from that period.
August 22, 2017
3.5
A couple of observations:
> Carl Van Vechten was so enamored of black culture, he lived vicariously through it.
> VV wrote this book obviously for a white audience. In addition, there's a glossary in the back. Now who do you think that's for?
The book is told through two characters: Book one is Mary, the sensitive librarian, setting the stage of Harlem high life superficially viewed through her friends and acquaintances. Many characters were thinly disguised acquaintances of VV and some were stereotypes (dialect and all). Book two is Bryon, Mary’s boyfriend, and it is this section of the book that is more interesting, more revealing. Some of VV’s best passages are where he is describing Byron as a proud black man struggling to make it on his own, on his terms - without having to resort to passing, in a white man’s world. A would be writer with self-doubt and fear (which is justifiable), Byron’s pride gets in the way of his ability to accept assistance. One of the best passages is when a well-regarded editor sees Bryon’s potential but advises him to “write what you know.” That’s advice any seasoned professional would give, but in Bryon’s mind, the fact the editor is white makes it all the more pointed.
There are a couple of side stories that I thought were unnecessary, but overall, this is a good read. The ending, however, disappointed me.
A couple of observations:
> Carl Van Vechten was so enamored of black culture, he lived vicariously through it.
> VV wrote this book obviously for a white audience. In addition, there's a glossary in the back. Now who do you think that's for?
The book is told through two characters: Book one is Mary, the sensitive librarian, setting the stage of Harlem high life superficially viewed through her friends and acquaintances. Many characters were thinly disguised acquaintances of VV and some were stereotypes (dialect and all). Book two is Bryon, Mary’s boyfriend, and it is this section of the book that is more interesting, more revealing. Some of VV’s best passages are where he is describing Byron as a proud black man struggling to make it on his own, on his terms - without having to resort to passing, in a white man’s world. A would be writer with self-doubt and fear (which is justifiable), Byron’s pride gets in the way of his ability to accept assistance. One of the best passages is when a well-regarded editor sees Bryon’s potential but advises him to “write what you know.” That’s advice any seasoned professional would give, but in Bryon’s mind, the fact the editor is white makes it all the more pointed.
There are a couple of side stories that I thought were unnecessary, but overall, this is a good read. The ending, however, disappointed me.
May 25, 2007
This 1926 novel of the Harlem Renaissance, written by a white, gay man, drew fire from the black community for its scandalous title. It's good, but a bit too polemical for my taste. His point is that there are rich blacks, intellectual blacks, jazz-players, poor blacks and gigolos all living side by side in Harlem. They are various and interesting people and not of one mind on any subject and we should really get to know them. His main characters are not fully realized to me. The bitter young college-educated Byron Kasson, who can't get a job any better than elevator operator, seems somewhat stilted and one dimensional. His priggish, long-suffering, librarian girlfriend is not much better. What I loved were the descriptions of Harlem life, the cabarets in all their tawdriness and the lavish parlours of the wealthy. The tragic ending seemed cheap and unnecessary. I think it could have been much more complex, but still very enjoyable.
June 27, 2014
I have had an odd reaction to the book: not great, but very interesting.
Writing by a gay white man, it may suffer from not being an insider, but apparently, the author was part of the community in Harlem. And the picture of that community is fascinating. The characters, the debauchery, the high life, the despair are interesting and well demonstrated. Many of the colloquialisms are great to read and know.
The characterizations are weak and little developed.
Fun read, but didactic.
Writing by a gay white man, it may suffer from not being an insider, but apparently, the author was part of the community in Harlem. And the picture of that community is fascinating. The characters, the debauchery, the high life, the despair are interesting and well demonstrated. Many of the colloquialisms are great to read and know.
The characterizations are weak and little developed.
Fun read, but didactic.
October 24, 2008
A fast story about intraracial prejudice, pride, and artistry; especially fascinating is the integration of lyrical excerpts (typical of New Negro writing, but very emphasized here). Also there are a few David Lynchian scenes in the cabarets that leave you wondering...
April 14, 2014
A page turner for me. Wish I had read it in my youth. I reccommend if you are interested in this period and the social customs of Harlem. Great description of the difficulties surviving as a black and how very many were able to avoid it by "passing over".
July 26, 2018
Its fascinating and sad simultaneously that the issues discussed in the novel,; racism, color-ism, violence ares till rampant in American especially African American society. If one is able to get pass the title it reads as great historical fiction.
March 21, 2019
I was initially very put-off by the title of this book but decided to give it a try and found it to be quite an enjoyable read. But, beware--it does contain a lot of very offensive words by the standards of today!!
June 9, 2021
Pretty good actually, but that title ain't doing it any favors
November 18, 2024
You can tell he really thought he was apart of the community 😂. The prologue about The Creeper was definitely the most engaging part of the book. But I definitely see why he had Countee Cullen and W.E.B. Du Bois upset. Because why did he feel had the right to tell this story? 😭
February 23, 2018
A novel about Harlem with Black characters written by a White patron of the arts/critic/socialite, Carl Van Vechten. The title was deliberately incendiary, but no one could talk him out of it. Its publication divided the Harlem literati--Du Bois, among others, hated it. James Weldon Johnson thought it was okay. Langston Hughes quickly wrote blues lyrics for it when Van Vechten couldn't get permission to use existing lyrics. (Hughes and Van Vechten were lifelong friends.) As to the novel, it mixes tragedy, melodrama, and slice-of-Harlem-night-life. Worth reading as a cultural artifact of the Harlem Renaissance and as an example of White Liberal allyship gone haywire. Otherwise, not really recommended.
January 19, 2024
This book is set during the 20s Harlem Renaissance. The author, Carl Van Vetchten, was an engaged admirer of black artists - their literature, music, art and experience, and, as expressed in his own writing, photography and participation among his contemporaries. Gives a sympathetic sense of the times and people, from an external yet localized personal perspective.
(Incidentally, with such books of offensive or at least questionable titles, I try to read the apparent biases, my own and the author’s, in order to understand them better. Realizing he was friends with such luminaries as Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, among others, lends some decent weight to his merit.)
(Incidentally, with such books of offensive or at least questionable titles, I try to read the apparent biases, my own and the author’s, in order to understand them better. Realizing he was friends with such luminaries as Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, among others, lends some decent weight to his merit.)
December 13, 2023
What a read! Slow to start but rapidly accelerating, it’s a shame Van Vechten didn’t write more. Using his knowledge of the black community of the 1920’s that he supported, the author shows his love and honest portrayal of the many perspectives. Stunning achievement.
October 23, 2022
I read this book some years ago borrowed from the library. The second time I hard to find it from a company that I can't remember at this time. Every out spoken author and his writing is descriptive and the dialect takes time to understand. It is an interesting novel.
January 8, 2022
First and foremost, the title of this book disturbs me, but you have to overlook the title and focus on the actual story. I appreciate that the book version that I read had a special introduction that gave attention to the controversy that Van Vechten experienced related to his choice for titling his book. His father was especially disturbed about this, and he made this known to Van Vechten.
Upon starting this read, I was concerned that it would be too slow paced for me, but I was pleasantly surprised how hooked I was to the characters. I mean, it celebrates Harlem, and I am a Harlem Renaissance fanatic.
The story focuses on Mary, a quiet and reserved librarian, and Byron, an emotional volatile aspiring writer. The two are navigating in a world where racism and classism is present. Upon meeting, the immediately have a strong attraction and serendipitously reconnect shortly after their first encounter. As Mary does all she can to encourage Byron, he finds that despite his college education, becoming a recognized writer is no easy task. Mary attempts to help Byron find work in the meantime, but he is not open to the idea of anyone helping him to secure a job.
As the two experience Harlem’s jazz clubs, cabarets, and social events, they also face blatant racism. They are astonished as the watch some of their friends make the decision to pass as white in order to get ahead. Byron quickly accuses Mary of being too “uppity” and he strays only to realize that he was the one angry at the world in which he lived.
A fascinating read which highlights racial struggle, black culture, and how one makes the decision to either abandon or endure and celebrate who they really are.
Upon starting this read, I was concerned that it would be too slow paced for me, but I was pleasantly surprised how hooked I was to the characters. I mean, it celebrates Harlem, and I am a Harlem Renaissance fanatic.
The story focuses on Mary, a quiet and reserved librarian, and Byron, an emotional volatile aspiring writer. The two are navigating in a world where racism and classism is present. Upon meeting, the immediately have a strong attraction and serendipitously reconnect shortly after their first encounter. As Mary does all she can to encourage Byron, he finds that despite his college education, becoming a recognized writer is no easy task. Mary attempts to help Byron find work in the meantime, but he is not open to the idea of anyone helping him to secure a job.
As the two experience Harlem’s jazz clubs, cabarets, and social events, they also face blatant racism. They are astonished as the watch some of their friends make the decision to pass as white in order to get ahead. Byron quickly accuses Mary of being too “uppity” and he strays only to realize that he was the one angry at the world in which he lived.
A fascinating read which highlights racial struggle, black culture, and how one makes the decision to either abandon or endure and celebrate who they really are.
March 8, 2021
Van Vechten was a benefactor to authors of the Harlem Renaissance. His novel on life in Harlem during this period is interesting.... on one hand he seems to understand what it may have been like for Blacks during this time, on the other, his whiteness is apparent in terminology that depicts Black people as less than human, or exotic.... classism and colorism are also topics explored in the novel....Overall, an interesting read with several parallels that coincide with black authors writing at this time.
August 21, 2020
While the title is a whole lotta nope, V. Vechten's novel is a unique look at Harlem. Edges into mutton-dressed-as-lamb territory in terms of trying to be chic, but has its moments of social commentary and literary craft.
March 23, 2021
Not the best book to reflect the time period of the Harlem Renaissance. I wish a different book was the staple book for the time period. Although there are some interesting aspects to this book, the majority of it is over stereotyped and places black people in a weird light.
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December 14, 2022Great book, victim of bigotry. Should be reprinted and translated.
November 30, 2023
Very dated the style of writing makes this patronizing work of fiction a dull read
September 19, 2024
I read this book for a class on the literature of the Harlem Renaissance. Van Vechten really resembles his one of his main characters by even writing this book.
September 19, 2024
Disclaimer: I read this for class.
September 21, 2025
Horrendous. Insanely fun to pick apart and discuss to shreds. Terrible book to read on the subway. Incredible discussion in class. 10/10
July 26, 2011
Extremely touching and a must read!!!!
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