Charles Waddell Chesnutt (1858-1932) was an African American author, essayist and political activist, best known for his novels and short stories exploring racism and other social themes. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. His parents were “free persons of color”. They offered to sell him into slavery. Charles entered school at the age of eight, and at 16, became a student-teacher. He continued to study and teach, eventually becoming assistant principal of the normal school in Fayetteville. He began writing stories that appeared in various magazines, including The Atlantic Monthly, where he published his first short story, The Goophered Grapevine, in 1887. His first book, a collection of short stories entitled The Conjure Woman, was published in 1899. He continued writing short stories, and a biography of Frederick Douglass. He also wrote several full-length novels and appeared on the lecture circuit. Some scholars argue that his short stories are examples of American realism. Other works include: The Passing of Grandison (1899), The House Behind the Cedars (1900) and The Colonel’s Dream (1905).
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CHARLES WADDELL CHESNUTT (1858-1932) was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He drew on his experiences as a biracial American to address racial passing in his classic novel "The House Behind the Cedars," Earning a living as a court stenographer and lawyer, Chesnutt supported a writing career that included the publication of numerous short stories and the completion of several other novels, some of which were considered too incendiary to be printed during his time. An active integrationist and civil rights leader, he was awarded a medal by the NAACP for distinguished literary contributions.
Chesnutt, one of the most important African-American writers of the nineteenth century, tells a complex tale of race, injustice, and passion. His style is elaborate; Chesnutt sometimes writes in the formal cadences of the Victorian novel and sometimes in a range of heavy Southern dialects. However, Michael Collins masters all dialects and makes characters as disparate as white trash Captain McBain and Jane, the aged black servant, live with equal facility. A few sound effects, such as period music and crowd sounds during the riot at the book's climax, contribute to give the impression that Collins is performing the book rather than simply reading it. G.T.B. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
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