First published 2008
This collection presents the correspondence between two major African American writers across twenty-five years. Chester Himes and John A. Williams first met in 1961 when Himes was gaining international recognition and Williams was starting his career. Their letters from 1962 to 1987 reveal the evolution of both their friendship and their literary careers. Himes created the Harlem detective series with Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson, while Williams wrote acclaimed novels including The Man Who Cried I Am and Captain Blackman. The correspondence captures their honest critiques of each other's work, their struggles as Black writers in American publishing, and their observations about life in the United States and overseas. The letters expose Himes's difficult personality and Williams's mix of affection and exasperation with his older friend. Despite periodic tensions, Williams maintained contact through Himes's declining health until his death. Compiled by John A. Williams and his wife Lori Williams, these personal exchanges offer an intimate portrait of literary friendship.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, african-american, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: epistolary, found-family
Period: 1961, 1962-1987
256 pages · Hardcover · Wayne State University Press