Understanding Edward P. Jones

"With Understanding Edward P. Jones, James W. Coleman cements his reputation as one of our most incisive and exacting interpreters of African American literature. His critical rigor and crystalline interpretive insights are on full display in a study that fills a scholarly chasm on Jones, an underappreciated artist whose short stories and novel explore our country's most painful and seemingly ineradicable realities—the lesions from America's originating trauma, slavery; urban decay in contemporary Washington, DC; the perilous circumstances of African American children in hardscrabble environments; internecine class tensions in the African American community—in prose that is simultaneously bracing and luminous. Like his subject, Coleman is a stylist of the first order, crafting trenchant, layered arguments in writing that is lucid, graceful, and immensely accessible to scholars, students, and readers beyond the academy. This invaluable and vital study will be the benchmark for all subsequent studies in the still-evolving field of Jones scholarship; a stunning achievement given Coleman's already distinguished critical oeuvre."—Keith Clark, professor, English and African and African American Studies, George Mason University

"A gentle soul with a fierce literary vision, Edward P. Jones is an enigmatic and reclusive writer. In this comprehensive and enlightening study, James W. Coleman provides insight into Jones's narrative works, many of which are interrelated, as well as the man himself. Understanding Edward P Jones will be of great use to readers at all levels who yearn to know more about this great contemporary writer and his complex—yet ultimately rewarding—works of literature."—Rebecka Rutledge Fisher, associate professor, English & Comparative Literature, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

"James W. Coleman has established himself as one of the leading authorities—perhaps the leading authority—on contemporary African American male writers. This insightful study of a leading contemporary writer, Edward P. Jones—author of the highly acclaimed The Known World as well as other works—adds to Coleman's prominent reputation."—Fred Hobson, Lineberger Professor in the Humanities, Emeritus, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill