John Crow's Devil (Paperback)

Marlon James

ISBN 10: 1936070103 / ISBN 13: 9781936070107

Published by Akashic Books, New York, 2010

About this Item

Paperback. "A powerful first novel . . . Writing with assurance and control, James uses his small-town drama to suggest the larger anguish of a postcolonial society struggling for its own identity." —"New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice)" "Elements coalesce in a Jamaican stew spicier than jerk chicken. First novelist James moves effortlessly between lyrical patois and trenchant observations . . . It's 150-proof literary rum guaranteed to intoxicate and enchant. Highly recommended." —"Library Journal (*starred* review)" This stunning debut novel tells the story of a biblical struggle in a remote Jamaican village in 1957 with language as taut as classic works by Cormac McCarthy and a richness reminiscent of early Toni Morrison. Marlon James was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1970. His second novel, "The Book of Night Women," a "New York Times" Editors' Choice, was released in 2009 to widespread critical acclaim. Currently a professor of literature and creative writing at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, he divides his time between Jamaica, New York City, and the Twin Cities. The long-awaited paperback reissue of the acclaimed Jamaican author's debut novel. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781936070107

Bibliographic Details

• Title: John Crow's Devil (Paperback)
• Publisher: Akashic Books, New York
• Publication Date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1936070103
• ISBN 13: 9781936070107
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

The long-awaited paperback reissue of Booker–Prize Winner Marlon James's debut novel.

―Marlon James won the 2015 Man Booker Prize for his third novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings.

―Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize

“A powerful first novel . . . Writing with assurance and control, James uses his small-town drama to suggest the larger anguish of a postcolonial society struggling for its own identity.” ―New York Times, Editors’ Choice

“Elements coalesce in a Jamaican stew spicier than jerk chicken. First novelist James moves effortlessly between lyrical patois and trenchant observations . . . It’s 150-proof literary rum guaranteed to intoxicate and enchant. Highly recommended.” ―Library Journal, Starred Review

This stunning debut novel tells the story of a biblical struggle in a remote Jamaican village in 1957. With language as taut as classic works by Cormac McCarthy, and a richness reminiscent of early Toni Morrison, Marlon James reveals his unique narrative command that will firmly establish his place as one of today’s freshest, most talented young writers.

In the village of Gibbeah―where certain women fly and certain men protect secrets with their lives―magic coexists with religion, and good and evil are never as they seem. In this town, a battle is fought between two men of God. The story begins when a drunkard named Hector Bligh (the “Rum Preacher”) is dragged from his pulpit by a man calling himself “Apostle” York. Handsome and brash, York demands a fire-and-brimstone church, but sets in motion a phenomenal and deadly struggle for the soul of Gibbeah itself. John Crow’s Devil is a novel about religious mania, redemption, sexual obsession, and the eternal struggle inside all of us between the righteous and the wicked.

About the Author

MARLON JAMES was born in Jamaica in 1970. He is the author of the New York Times-bestseller Black Leopard, Red Wolf, which was a finalist for the National Book Award for fiction in 2019. His novel A Brief History of Seven Killings won the 2015 Man Booker Prize. It was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and won the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature for fiction, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for fiction, and the Minnesota Book Award. It was also a New York Times Notable Book. James is also the author of The Book of Night Women, which won the 2010 Dayton Literary Peace Prize and the Minnesota Book Award, and was a finalist for the 2010 National Book Critics Circle Award in fiction and an NAACP Image Award. His first novel, John Crow’s Devil, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for first fiction and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, and was a New York Times Editors’ Choice. James divides his time between Minnesota and New York.