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Song of the Shank: A Novel - Paperback By Allen, Jeffery Renard - GOOD
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Located in: Eaton, Colorado, United States
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eBay item number:155371542660
Item specifics
- Condition
- Brand
- Unbranded
- Type
- Novel
- Era
- 2010s
- Custom Bundle
- No
- MPN
- Does not apply
- Original Language
- English
- Country/Region of Manufacture
- United States
- Vintage
- No
- ISBN
- 9781555976804
- Book Title
- Song of the Shank
- Item Length
- 8.9 in
- Publisher
- Graywolf Press
- Publication Year
- 2014
- Format
- Trade Paperback
- Language
- English
- Illustrator
- Yes
- Item Height
- 1.2 in
- Genre
- Fiction
- Topic
- African American / General, African American / Historical, Literary, Biographical, Historical
- Item Width
- 6 in
- Item Weight
- 27.5 Oz
- Number of Pages
- 608 Pages
About this product
Product Information
A contemporary American masterpiece about music, race, an unforgettable man, and an unreal America during the Civil War era At the heart of this remarkable novel is Thomas Greene Wiggins, a nineteenth-century slave and improbable musical genius who performed under the name Blind Tom. Song of the Shank opens in 1866 as Tom and his guardian, Eliza Bethune, struggle to adjust to their fashionable apartment in the city in the aftermath of riots that had driven them away a few years before. But soon a stranger arrives from the mysterious island of Edgemere--inhabited solely by African settlers and black refugees from the war and riots--who intends to reunite Tom with his now-liberated mother. As the novel ranges from Tom's boyhood to the heights of his performing career, the inscrutable savant is buffeted by opportunistic teachers and crooked managers, crackpot healers and militant prophets. In his symphonic novel, Jeffery Renard Allen blends history and fantastical invention to bring to life a radical cipher, a man who profoundly changes all who encounter him.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Graywolf Press
ISBN-10
1555976808
ISBN-13
9781555976804
eBay Product ID (ePID)
171716774
Product Key Features
Book Title
Song of the Shank
Format
Trade Paperback
Language
English
Topic
African American / General, African American / Historical, Literary, Biographical, Historical
Publication Year
2014
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Fiction
Number of Pages
608 Pages
Dimensions
Item Length
8.9 in
Item Height
1.2 in
Item Width
6 in
Item Weight
27.5 Oz
Additional Product Features
Lc Classification Number
Ps3551.L393815s66
Reviews
Praise for Song of the Shank: "Both the conception and the underlying history behind this story will leave readers with a profound understanding of the inhumanity of slavery and 19th century racial attitudes. . . . [An] admirable book that invites an important excavation of the past." - Publishers Weekly "Talent and brilliance are not enough. Writing a novel like this is the equivalent of building a three story building. Single handedly. Jeffery Renard Allen scores highly with this novel about the Michael Jackson of the nineteenth century, the savant, Blind Tom." -Ishmael Reed "Jeffery Renard Allen works language to make himself smarter, readers smarter, the language smarter."-John Edgar Wideman Praise for Rails Under My Back: A New York Times Notable Book "Powerful stuff." - Esquire "[Allen's] language . . . demonstrates extraordinary poise . . . Besides Joyce and Faulkner, other 20th-century novelists whose work Allen's calls to mind are Dos Passos, Ellison and Henry Roth-an indication of the remarkable literary company in which this novel may be seen to move." - The New York Times Book Review "Big, ambitious, picaresque, and beautiful." - San Francisco Chronicle "A novel of immense power." - Elle, An eerie fever dream of a historical novel. . . . [Allen] carries the resources of the poet and the psychic in his trick bag., "[A] masterly new novel. . . . It sagely explores themes of religion, class, art and genius, and introduces elements of magic realism . . . resulting in the kind of imaginative work only a prodigiously gifted risk-taker could produce." - The New York Times Book Review (front cover) "Allen's elaborate novel unfurls like a tapestry, its minutely detailed tableaux illustrating the vast, unhealed bruise of American racism." - The Boston Globe "Powerfully evokes the life of the 19th-century slave and enigmatic musical savant, Blind Tom." - Vanity Fair "Epic and brilliant. . . . [Allen's] unhurried and unconventional novel is a celebration of an utterly unique American artist." - The Los Angeles Times "Inventive, earthy, lyrical, demanding, rewarding. . . . There are echoes . . . in this potential Great American Novel of past masters Faulkner, Hemingway, Ellison, Melville, John Edgar Wideman, Ishmael Reed." -San Francisco Chronicle "Beautiful. . . . [Allen's] style is at once dense and spare-his prose poetic and heavily evocative." - Chicago Tribune "An eerie fever dream of a historical novel. . . . [Allen] carries the resources of the poet and the psychic in his trick bag." - Bookforum "[An] explosive vanguard novel . . . a chilling orphic drama full of polyrhythmic shakers and shells. . . . A landmark of modern African-American literature. . . . Reading through this sagacious volume is like stumbling on a crooked monument covered in celestial carvings, something that aims for the stars and ends up reconfiguring constellations." - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution "If there's any justice, Allen's visionary work, as startlingly inventive as one of his subject's performances, should propel him to the front rank of American novelists." - Kirkus Reviews , starred review "[A] delightful literary gem." - Essence "[A] sprawling, Faulknerian work of fiction." - The Kansas City Star "In the extraordinarily talented hands of Allen, Tom is a mysterious and compelling figure. . . . [A] tour de force. . . . A brilliant book, with echoes of Ralph Ellison and William Faulkner." - Booklist , starred review, [An] explosive vanguard novel . . . a chilling orphic drama full of polyrhythmic shakers and shells. . . . A landmark of modern African-American literature. . . . Reading through this sagacious volume is like stumbling on a crooked monument covered in celestial carvings, something that aims for the stars and ends up reconfiguring constellations., Praise for Rails Under My Back A New York Times Notable Book "Powerful stuff." - Esquire "[Allen's] language . . . demonstrates extraordinary poise . . . Besides Joyce and Faulkner, other 20th-century novelists whose work Allen's calls to mind are Dos Passos, Ellison and Henry Roth-an indication of the remarkable literary company in which this novel may be seen to move." - The New York Times Book Review "Big, ambitious, picaresque, and beautiful." - San Francisco Chronicle "A novel of immense power." - Elle, Epic and brilliant. . . . [Allen's] unhurried and unconventional novel is a celebration of an utterly unique American artist., Inventive, earthy, lyrical, demanding, rewarding. . . . There are echoes . . . in this potential Great American Novel of past masters Faulkner, Hemingway, Ellison, Melville, John Edgar Wideman, Ishmael Reed., Beautiful. . . . [Allen's] Style Is at Once Dense and Spare--His Prose Poetic and Heavily Evocative., Praise for Rails Under My Back A New York Times Notable Book"Powerful stuff." - Esquire "[Allen's] language . . . demonstrates extraordinary poise . . . Besides Joyce and Faulkner, other 20th-century novelists whose work Allen's calls to mind are Dos Passos, Ellison and Henry Roth-an indication of the remarkable literary company in which this novel may be seen to move." - The New York Times Book Review "Big, ambitious, picaresque, and beautiful." - San Francisco Chronicle "A novel of immense power."- Elle, In the extraordinarily talented hands of Allen, Tom is a mysterious and compelling figure. . . . [A] tour de force. . . . A brilliant book, with echoes of Ralph Ellison and William Faulkner., Praise for Song of the Shank: "Talent and brilliance are not enough. Writing a novel like this is the equivalent of building a three story building. Single handedly. Jeffery Renard Allen scores highly with this novel about the Michael Jackson of the nineteenth century, the savant, Blind Tom." -Ishmael Reed "Jeffery Renard Allen works language to make himself smarter, readers smarter, the language smarter."-John Edgar Wideman Praise for Rails Under My Back: A New York Times Notable Book "Powerful stuff." - Esquire "[Allen's] language . . . demonstrates extraordinary poise . . . Besides Joyce and Faulkner, other 20th-century novelists whose work Allen's calls to mind are Dos Passos, Ellison and Henry Roth-an indication of the remarkable literary company in which this novel may be seen to move." - The New York Times Book Review "Big, ambitious, picaresque, and beautiful." - San Francisco Chronicle "A novel of immense power." - Elle, If there's any justice, Allen's visionary work, as startlingly inventive as one of his subject's performances, should propel him to the front rank of American novelists., [A] masterly new novel. . . . It sagely explores themes of religion, class, art and genius, and introduces elements of magic realism . . . resulting in the kind of imaginative work only a prodigiously gifted risk-taker could produce., "[A] masterly new novel. . . . It sagely explores themes of religion, class, art and genius, and introduces elements of magic realism . . . resulting in the kind of imaginative work only a prodigiously gifted risk-taker could produce." -- The New York Times Book Review (front cover) "Allen's elaborate novel unfurls like a tapestry, its minutely detailed tableaux illustrating the vast, unhealed bruise of American racism." -- The Boston Globe "Powerfully evokes the life of the 19th-century slave and enigmatic musical savant, Blind Tom." -- Vanity Fair "Epic and brilliant. . . . [Allen's] unhurried and unconventional novel is a celebration of an utterly unique American artist." -- The Los Angeles Times "Inventive, earthy, lyrical, demanding, rewarding. . . . There are echoes . . . in this potential Great American Novel of past masters Faulkner, Hemingway, Ellison, Melville, John Edgar Wideman, Ishmael Reed." -- San Francisco Chronicle "Beautiful. . . . [Allen's] style is at once dense and spare--his prose poetic and heavily evocative." -- Chicago Tribune "An eerie fever dream of a historical novel. . . . [Allen] carries the resources of the poet and the psychic in his trick bag." -- Bookforum "[An] explosive vanguard novel . . . a chilling orphic drama full of polyrhythmic shakers and shells. . . . A landmark of modern African-American literature. . . . Reading through this sagacious volume is like stumbling on a crooked monument covered in celestial carvings, something that aims for the stars and ends up reconfiguring constellations." -- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution "If there's any justice, Allen's visionary work, as startlingly inventive as one of his subject's performances, should propel him to the front rank of American novelists." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review "[A] delightful literary gem." -- Essence "[A] sprawling, Faulknerian work of fiction." -- The Kansas City Star "In the extraordinarily talented hands of Allen, Tom is a mysterious and compelling figure. . . . [A] tour de force. . . . A brilliant book, with echoes of Ralph Ellison and William Faulkner." -- Booklist, starred review, Praise for Rails Under My Back A New York Times Notable Book"Powerful stuff." - Esquire "[Allen's] language . . . demonstrates extraordinary poise . . . Besides Joyce and Faulkner, other 20th-century novelists whose work Allen's calls to mind are Dos Passos, Ellison and Henry Roth-an indication of the remarkable literary company in which this novel may be seen to move." - The New York Times Book Review "Big, ambitious, picaresque, and beautiful." - San Francisco Chronicle "A novel of immense power." - Elle, Allen's elaborate novel unfurls like a tapestry, its minutely detailed tableaux illustrating the vast, unhealed bruise of American racism., Praise for Song of the Shank : "[A] masterly new novel. . . . It sagely explores themes of religion, class, art and genius, and introduces elements of magic realism . . . resulting in the kind of imaginative work only a prodigiously gifted risk-taker could produce." - The New York Times Book Review (front cover) "Allen's elaborate novel unfurls like a tapestry, its minutely detailed tableaux illustrating the vast, unhealed bruise of American racism." - The Boston Globe "Powerfully evokes the life of the 19th-century slave and enigmatic musical savant, Blind Tom." - Vanity Fair "Epic and brilliant. . . . [Allen's] unhurried and unconventional novel is a celebration of an utterly unique American artist." - The Los Angeles Times "Inventive, earthy, lyrical, demanding, rewarding. . . . There are echoes . . . in this potential Great American Novel of past masters Faulkner, Hemingway, Ellison, Melville, John Edgar Wideman, Ishmael Reed." -San Francisco Chronicle "Beautiful. . . . [Allen's] style is at once dense and spare-his prose poetic and heavily evocative." - Chicago Tribune "An eerie fever dream of a historical novel. . . . [Allen] carries the resources of the poet and the psychic in his trick bag." - Bookforum "[An] explosive vanguard novel . . . a chilling orphic drama full of polyrhythmic shakers and shells. . . . A landmark of modern African-American literature. . . . Reading through this sagacious volume is like stumbling on a crooked monument covered in celestial carvings, something that aims for the stars and ends up reconfiguring constellations." - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution "If there's any justice, Allen's visionary work, as startlingly inventive as one of his subject's performances, should propel him to the front rank of American novelists." - Kirkus Reviews , starred review "[A] delightful literary gem." - Essence "[A] sprawling, Faulknerian work of fiction." - The Kansas City Star "In the extraordinarily talented hands of Allen, Tom is a mysterious and compelling figure. . . . [A] tour de force. . . . A brilliant book, with echoes of Ralph Ellison and William Faulkner." - Booklist , starred review, Praise for Song of the Shank : "[A] masterly new novel. . . . It sagely explores themes of religion, class, art and genius, and introduces elements of magic realism . . . resulting in the kind of imaginative work only a prodigiously gifted risk-taker could produce." - The New York Times Book Review (front cover) "Spellbinding. . . . An aesthetically inventive novel that remains rooted in some of America's deepest historical pain." - The Boston Globe "Powerfully evokes the life of the 19th-century slave and enigmatic musical savant, Blind Tom." - Vanity Fair "Beautiful. . . . [Allen's] style is at once dense and spare-his prose poetic and heavily evocative." - Chicago Tribune "An eerie fever dream of a historical novel. . . . [Allen] carries the resources of the poet and the psychic in his trick bag." - Bookforum "[An] explosive vanguard novel . . . a chilling orphic drama full of polyrhythmic shakers and shells. . . . A landmark of modern African-American literature. . . . Reading through this sagacious volume is like stumbling on a crooked monument covered in celestial carvings, something that aims for the stars and ends up reconfiguring constellations." - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution "If there's any justice, Allen's visionary work, as startlingly inventive as one of his subject's performances, should propel him to the front rank of American novelists." - Kirkus Reviews , starred review "[A] delightful literary gem." - Essence "[A] sprawling, Faulknerian work of fiction." - The Kansas City Star "In the extraordinarily talented hands of Allen, Tom is a mysterious and compelling figure. . . . [A] tour de force. . . . A brilliant book, with echoes of Ralph Ellison and William Faulkner." - Booklist , starred review
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Item description from the seller
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eBay item number:155371542660
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Eaton, Colorado, United States
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| Postage and handling | To | Service | Delivery*See Delivery notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| US $5.37 (approx S$ 7.27) | United States | Economy Postage (USPS Media MailTM) | Estimated between Fri, 21 Jun and Wed, 26 Jun to 43230 |
| US $12.95 (approx S$ 17.54) | United States | Standard Postage (USPS Ground Advantage®) | Estimated between Fri, 21 Jun and Tue, 25 Jun to 43230 |
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