The Autobiography of LeRoi Jones - (Library of Black America) by Amiri Baraka (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Poet, dramatist, novelist, critic, teacher, and political activist Amiri Baraka, born LeRoi Jones, vividly recounts his crusading role in African American literature. A driving force behind the Black Arts Movement, the prolific Baraka retells his experiences from his participation in avant-garde literature after World War II and his role in Black nationalism after the assassination of Malcolm X to his conversion to Islam and his commitments to an international socialist vision.

When The Autobiography of LeRoi Jones was first published in 1984, the publisher made substantial cuts in the copy. Under the careful direction of the author, the book has been restored to its original form. This is the first complete and unexpurgated version of Baraka's life and work.

From the Back Cover

Poet, dramatist, novelist, critic, teacher, and political activist Amiri Baraka, born LeRoi Jones, vividly recounts his crusading role in African-American literature. A driving force behind the Black Arts Movement, the prolific Baraka retells his experiences from his participation in avant-garde literature after World War II and his role in Black nationalism after the assassination of Malcolm X to his conversion to Islam and his commitment to an international socialist vision. When The Autobiography of LeRoi Jones was first published in 1984, the publisher made substantial cuts in the copy. Under the careful direction of the author, the book has been restored to its original form. This is the first complete and unexpurgated version of Baraka's life and work.

Review Quotes

"Always a nuance ahead of everybody else, he is our more original writers. Nobody else comes close." --Ishmael Reed

"He is regarded by those closest to Black art as the nation's leading Black writer, which of course suggests that no other, however talented, has proven--in this time and place--more valuable to Black people." --Ebony

"The story of Baraka's metamorphosis is itself part of the story of contemporary literature's development." --Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Amiri Baraka, aka LeRoi Jones, was for many years a professor of African studies at SUNY, Stony Brook. In 1987 he received the American Book Award for Lifetime Achievement. He passed away in January 2014.