Mumbo Jumbo (Paperback)

Ishmael Reed

ISBN 10: 0241305810 / ISBN 13: 9780241305812

Published by Penguin Books Ltd, London, 2017

About this Item

Paperback. Ishmael Reed's inspired comic fable of the ragtime era - hailed by Harold Bloom as one of the five hundred greatest books of the Western canonIshmael Reed's inspired comic fable of the ragtime era - hailed by Harold Bloom as one of the five hundred greatest books of the Western canonAmerica, 1920s. A plague is spreading, and it's spreading fast, from New Orleans to Chicago to New York.It's an epidemic of freedom, joy and self-expression, being spread by Black artists, that makes anyone who catches it desperate to dance, sing, laugh and jive. It's the outbreak of Jazz, Ragtime and Blues onto the world scene; the spirit of Blackness overtaking America and the world. And it's threatening to dismantle the whole social order.Working to root out the plague by any means possible - even murder - are the members of The Wallflower Order, an international conspiracy dedicated to puritanism and control. But, deep in the heart of Harlem, private eye and Vodun priest Papa LaBas is determined to defend his flourishing ancient culture against their insidious plans. And so, he finds himself locked in a race against the Order to find an ancient Egyptian text which might just be the key to keeping the virus of freedom alive.Caustic, badass, comic, Mumbo Jumbo is an exuberant explosion of magic, conspiracies, music and myth. It's a novel of outrage, intrigue, and wonder - an anarchic spiritual classic, and a satire for our times. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780241305812

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Mumbo Jumbo (Paperback)
• Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd, London
• Publication Date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0241305810
• ISBN 13: 9780241305812
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

''A great writer'' James Baldwin

''Part vision, part satire, part farce ... a wholly original, unholy cross between the craft of fiction and witchcraft'' The New York Times

A plague is spreading across 1920s America, racing from New Orleans to New York. It''s an epidemic of free expression, carried by black artists, and its symptoms are an uncontrollable urge to dance, sing, laugh and jive. The state will stop at nothing to suppress the outbreak, but, deep in the heart of Harlem, private eye and Vodum priest Papa LaBas has other ideas - and, possibly, the key to everything. A freewheeling, explosive blend of jazz, ragtime, ancient myth, magic and conspiracy thriller, this anarchic postmodern classic is a satire for our times.

About the Author

Novelist, poet, playwright, songwriter, essayist, activist and MacArthur genius, Ishmael Reed has been a major figure in American letters for the past four decades. His ground-breaking literary output has inspired generations of artists and writers - from Thomas Pynchon, Paul Beatty, and Colson Whitehead, to 2pac, George Clinton and David Murray - and he is widely recognized as one of the great American writers. Reed was born in 1938. He grew up in working-class neighbourhoods in Buffalo, New York, attended Buffalo public schools, and the University of Buffalo. He taught at Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth and, for thirty-five years, at the University of California Berkeley. He lives in Oakland, California, where he teaches at the California College of the Arts.