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NEW ORLEANS GRIOT

Name: NEW ORLEANS GRIOT
Author: Tom Dent
ISBN: 978-1-60801-149-0

THE TOM DENT READER

by Tom Dent ; edited by Kalamu Ya Salaam ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 2017

A comprehensive portrait of the influential New Orleans writer whose oeuvre reflects the racial tensions of the times and is...

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An expansive collection of essays, interviews, poetry, and fiction by the New Orleans writer.

In the introduction, friend, fellow writer, and former apprentice Salaam (The Magic of Juju: An Appreciation of the Black Arts Movement, 2016, etc.) describes New Orleans writer Tom Dent (1932-1998) as a “griot,” which he defines as “a combined modern day, culturally grounded ethno-cultural anthropologist facing his past, as well as a public intellectual/cultural activist confronting his present.” It is an apt characterization given Dent’s range as a writer—fiction, journalism, poetry, and more—as well as his being a central figure in the Free Southern Theater in New Orleans and the Umbra writers collective in New York City. In every instance, Dent’s work reflects his commitment to black community and social responsibility, using writing as a means of expressing the political issues he was passionate about and the social injustice he fought against. One of the collection’s standouts is the story “Legacy of the Scottish Owner’s Will,” which is set in 1870 and features an elderly emancipated slave who ruminates on the nature of the black struggle for freedom and an impatience for civil equality. This early story was composed during Dent’s brief stint in New York, and it was upon his return to New Orleans that he began using journalism as his preferred medium for tackling issues of racial injustice, black identity, and civil rights. Among the other highlights of this period are “Beyond Rhetoric: Toward a Black Southern Theater,” a 1971 essay that advocates for a socially conscious aesthetic over spectacle; essays on Mardi Gras and New Orleans jazz musicians; and several illuminating interviews. While Dent’s work represents a minor, albeit interesting chapter in the American canon, its resonance is perhaps more deeply felt today.

A comprehensive portrait of the influential New Orleans writer whose oeuvre reflects the racial tensions of the times and is equally relevant today.

Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-60801-149-0

Page Count: 484

Publisher: UNO Press

Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2017

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.