what are some good black contemporary authors?

Question

name some of their books

Answer 1

Walker and Morrison, of course.

I very much admire Gloria Naylor, partlcularly her books LINDEN HILLS and BALEY'S CAFE.

I like a volume of poetry MY FATHER'S GEOGRAPHY by Baltimore poet Michael S. Weaver. And I love the poems of A. Van Jordan.

Charles Johnson wrote a highly ironic book about the slave trade; it's named THE MIDDLE PASSAGE,

Kia Cothrone is one of my favorite playwrights but I don't know if her plays have been published.

SOME of Ernest Gaines work is very good.

There are many more, but that's enough for right now, I guess.

Answer 2

I guess the color of their skin might matter because it was often a deciding factor in the canonization of literature. The "classics", both globally and nationally are predominantly white authors, and this seems primarily due to people in positions of power valorizing certain texts (e.g. critics, professors, et al.). Historically, these positions of literary power were often white males, and hence the canonized or classic literature often reflected this. Do you know many so-called "great" Hispanic authors? Native American? They're certainly out there, and recently there has been a large movement to be more inclusive in the canonization of literature. The squelching of so-called "minority authors and literature" stems, then, from large complicit institutions (universities, colleges, the public [and private] school systems at large, publishing houses, et Al.) and historical systemic racism combining to inform what has historically been labeled "great literature" in our society. Seeking out minority authors can often merely be the flexing of a broader sense of the corpus of modern literature. Beyond which, I don't think the questioner said he wouldn't read literature by a "white" author, merely that he was seeking out contemporary black authors.

Back to the question: I really enjoy James Baldwin, he's absolutely stunning. These are some older authors, though still good: Langston Hughes, David Bradley, Richard Wright and Paule Marshall. Oh, and Walter Mosley, he's got some good stuff, and he's contemporary. Charles Johnson is wonderful, and his book Middle Passage is, in some circles, absolutely required reading.

I'd be absolutely remiss if I didn't encourage you to pick up and read anything by Zora Neal Hurston. Their Eyes Were Watching God is probably her best known, but anything by her is absolutely stunning. Ishmael Reed is great, read Mumbo Jumbo; a difficult yet wonderfully rewarding book. Jamaica Kinkaid, Terry McMillan and John A. Williams all bear a close looking at as well.

Best of luck!

Answer 3

someone mentioned toni morrison. i haven't read any of her work yet but my friends tell me she's good. I've read some Maya Angelou and Alice Walker. Maya angelou is a little more modern and she's still alive. I think Alice Walker died sometime last century, but I've read some of her work and it sounds modern. Most people have heard of Maya Angelou's "I know why the caged bird sings" and Alice Walker's "The Color Purple".

Answer 4

How does the color of someones skin make a difference in the type of book they write? Are you a racist? Why dont you want to buy books written by white people? That sounds racist to me.

Answer 5

Toni Morrison, author of "Beloved"