Echo Tree: The Collected Short Fiction of Henry Dumas (Black Arts Movement Series)

Henry Dumass fiction is a masterful synthesis of myth and religion, culture and nature, mask and identity. From the Deep South to the simmering streets of Harlem, his characters embark on surreal and mythic quests armed only with wit, words, and wisdom. Championed by Toni Morrison, Walter Mosley, and Quincy Troupe, -Dumass books have long been out of print. All of his short fiction is collected here, for the first time, and includes several previously unpublished stories. Henry Dumas was born in Sweet Home, Arkansas, moved to Harlem, joined the Air Force, attended Rutgers, worked for IBM, and taught at Hiram College in Ohio and Southern Illinois University. In 1968, at the age of thirty-three, he was shot and killed by a New York Transit Authority -policeman. "Championed by Toni Morrison and Walter Mosley, Dumas's fabulist fiction is a masterful synthesis of myth and religion, culture and nature, mask and identity. From the Deep South to the simmering streets of Harlem, his characters embark on real, magical, and mythic quests. Humming with life, Dumas's stories create a collage of midcentury Black experiences, interweaving religious metaphor, African cosmologies, diasporic folklore, and America's history of slavery and systemic racism. Henry Dumas was born in Sweet Home, Arkansas, in 1934 and moved to Harlem at the age of ten. He joined the air force in 1953 and spent a year on the Arabian Peninsula. Upon his return, Dumas became active in the civil rights movement, married, had two sons, attended Rutgers University, worked for IBM, and taught at Hiram College in Ohio and at Southern Illinois University. In 1968, at the age of thirty-three, he was shot and killed by a New York City Transit Authority police officer."--Amazon.com Take This River! -- Ark Of Bones -- Ark Of Bones -- Echo Tree -- A Boll Of Roses -- The Crossing -- Double Nigger -- A Harlem Game -- Will The Circle Be Unbroken? -- Strike And Fade -- Fon -- Rope Of Wind -- The Marchers -- The Eagle The Dove And The Blackbird -- Scout -- Harlem -- The University Of Man -- Rope Of Wind -- Children Of The Sun -- Devil Bird -- Invasion -- The Lake -- The Distributors -- Thrust Counter Thrust -- Six Days You Shall Labor -- The Man Who Could See Through Fog -- The Voice -- Thalia -- The Metagenesis Of Sunra -- Rain God -- The Bewitching Bag -- My Brother, My Brother! -- The Metagenesis Of Sunra -- Riot Or Revolt? Edited And With A Foreword By Eugene B. Redmond ; Critical Introduction By John S. Wright. Henry Dumas's fabulist fiction is a masterful synthesis of myth and religion, culture and nature, mask and identity. From the Deep South to the simmering streets of Harlem, his characters embark on surreal and mythic quests armed with only their wit, their words, and their wisdom. With an astonishing ear for language, Dumas creates a mythology of the psychological, spiritual, and political development of African American culture by interweaving elements of Christian metaphor, African tradition, southern folklore, American music and America's history of slavery and endemic racism. For the first time, all of Dumas's short fiction is collected here, including several previously unpublished stories "Henry Dumas's fiction is a masterful synthesis of myth and religion, culture and nature, mask and identity. From the Deep South to the simmering streets of Harlem, his characters embark on surreal and mythic quests armed with only their wit, words, and wisdom. With an astonishing ear for language, Dumas creates a mythology of the psychological, spiritual, and political development of African American culture by interweaving elements of Christian metaphor, African tradition, southern folklore, American music and America's history of slavery and endemic racism. Although championed by many great writers of his generation, Dumas's books have long been out of print"-- Provided by publisher A complete collection of the author's short fiction, including several previously unpublished stories, includes elements of African tradition, Southern folklore, Christian metaphor, and America's history of slavery. Gothic Romance, Ghost Story, Parable, Psychological Thriller, Inner-space Fiction--dumas's Stories Form A Vivid, Expansive Portrait Of African-american Life.