A quietly influential force in African American literature and art, Clarence Major makes his Penguin Classics debut with the twenty-fifth-anniversary edition of Dirty Bird Blues Set in post-World War II Chicago and Omaha, the novel features Manfred Banks, a young, harmonica-blowing blues singer who is always writing music in his head. Torn between his friendships with fellow musicians and nightclub life and his responsibilities to his wife and child, along with the pressures of dealing with a racist America that assaults him at every turn, Manfred seeks easy answers in "Dirty Bird" (Old Crow whiskey) and in moving on. He moves to Omaha with hopes of better opportunities as a blue-collar worker, but the blues in his soul and the dreams in his mind keep bringing him back to face himself. After a nightmarish descent into his own depths, Manfred emerges with fresh awareness and possibility. Through Manfred, we witness and experience the process by which modern American English has been vitalized and strengthened by the poetry and the poignancy of the African-American experience. As Manfred struggles with the oppressive constraints of society and his private turmoil, his rich inner voice resonates with the blues.

Dirty Bird Blues (Penguin Classics)

Literature & Fiction

Major, Clarence

United States

Penguin Classics

A measure of Clarence Major's skill is the ease with which he both evokes Chicago with a few choice brush strokes, and then, later, builds a portrait of 1950 Omaha that is a portrait of the blues itself. says The Washington Post. The Washington Times calls this work a deeply satisfying glimpse into a slice of black life . . . and also into plain old humanity. And finally, Booklist calls it a gorgeous bluesy tale of love, hate, and doing right.

Dirty Bird Blues

Biographies & Memoirs

Community & Culture

BERKLEY

Lavish praise for come by here ""With elegant simplicity and uncommon wisdom, Clarence Major gives us not just the truth of his mother's life but the unspoken truth behind the lie of color in the American story. A compelling narrative."" -- Rilla Askew, author, Fire in Beulah ""A brilliant rendering of a rich and eventful life. With creative insight, love, and admiration, Major shows us how in family life down through the generations, race really matters."" -- Andrew Billingsley, author, Climbing Jacob's Ladder: The Enduring Legacy of African American Families Critical acclaim for Clarence Major ""Clarence Major has a remarkable mind and the talent to match."" -- Toni Morrison, Nobel Laureate ""One of America's most gifted and versatile writers."" -- Library Journal

Come By Here: My Mother's Life

Trade Paper Press

A lively and unique collection of words and phrases used by the Black community in the United States.

Black slang: A dictionary of Afro-American talk

Reference

Dictionaries & Thesauruses

Routledge and K. Paul

An anthology of the work of seventy-six Afro-Americans expressing the new conciousness of Black poets in the late 60s

The New Black Poetry

Intl Pub

Dictionary of Afro-American slang

International Publishers

Provides definitions for the terms and phrases found in the vocabulary of the American Negro

Dictionary of Afro-American Slang.

John Canoe, a gifted, yet reclusive, young painter, finds his life forever changed when he encounters a stunning Chinese American woman who chases away the loneliness that has plagued his existence. Original. 20,000 first printing.

One Flesh

Dafina

Such Was the Season is the story of an eventful week in the life of an elderly matriarch of a large black family in Atlanta. Annie Eliza narrates the story of "a killer diller" week, with the homecoming of her nephew, Adam "Juneboy" North, a doctor at Yale who has been gone for more than twenty-five years. Following her nephew's arrival Annie Eliza's daughter-in-law declares her intention to run for a seat in the state senate, which is soon disrupted by the threat of scandal involving someone close to her.

Such Was the Season: A Novel (Voices of the South)

Louisiana State Univ Pr

Myself Painting: Poems

In Myself Painting Clarence Major seeks to re-create for readers the inexpressible feeling that comes from creating art, with poems that speak not of painting itself but of its underlying process. Major incorporates the techniques of painting―particularly that of Post-Expressionism―into his verse, describing scenery with an artist’s eye and using form and color to evoke striking images: “Desire, artichoke green . . . leaves all radiant, / creating the thickness of blue shadows.” A master of highly structured free verse, Major also paints sounds, enthralling the reader in a realm of private symbols and dream visions. Using dynamic, surreal images, this original collection invites readers into the poet’s own fascinating world.

LSU Press

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Books by Major, Clarence