Erasure : a novel / Percival Everett.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Everett, Percival, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Washington (D.C.)--Fiction.

Washington (D.C.).

African American men--Fiction.

African American men.

Anonyms and pseudonyms--Fiction.

Anonyms and pseudonyms.

Mothers and sons--Fiction.

Mothers and sons.

Novelists--Fiction.

Novelists.

Political correctness--Fiction.

Political correctness.

Racism--Fiction.

Racism.

Genre:

Fiction.

Psychological fiction.

Fiction

Novels

Psychological fiction

Novels.

Physical Description:

265 pages ; 21 cm

Place of Publication:

Minneapolis, MN : Graywolf Press, [2001]

Summary:

Thelonius "Monk" Ellison is an erudite, accomplished but seldom-read author who insists on writing obscure literary papers rather than the so-called "ghetto prose" that would make him a commercial success. He finally succumbs to temptation after seeing the Oberlin-educated author of We's Lives in da Ghetto during her appearance on a talk show, firing back with a parody called My Pafology, which he submits to his startled agent under the gangsta pseudonym of Stagg R. Leigh. Ellison quickly finds himself with a six-figure advance from a major house, a multimillion-dollar offer for the movie rights and a monster bestseller on his hands. The money helps with a family crisis, allowing Ellison to care for his widowed mother as she drifts into the fog of Alzheimer's, but it doesn't ease the pain after his sister, a physician, is shot by right-wing fanatics for performing abortions. The dark side of wealth surfaces when both the movie mogul and talk-show host demand to meet the nonexistent Leigh, forcing Ellison to don a disguise and invent a sullen, enigmatic character to meet the demands of the market. The final indignity occurs when Ellison becomes a judge for a major book award and My Pafology (title changed to Fuck) gets nominated, forcing the author to come to terms with his perverse literary joke. Percival's talent is multifaceted, sparked by a satiric brilliance that could place him alongside Wright and Ellison as he skewers the conventions of racial and political correctness.

Contents:

1. Marriage: Creating the Jewish Family

2. Bringing Order to the Jewish Family

3. Marital Breakdown and Divorce

4. Kritut: Negotiating the Divorce Agreement and Unresolved Issues

5. Quandaries of Family Reform: Old Foes, New Alliances.

Notes:

Hurston/Wright Legacy Award - Fiction , Winner, 2002

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Beardwood Fund bookplate.

ISBN:

9781555975999

1555975992

OCLC:

706021549

Publisher Number:

99946418751