The Souls of Black Folk

nThe problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line. Thus speaks W.E.B. Du Bois in The Souls Of Black Folk, one of the most prophetic and influental works in American literature. In this eloquent collection of essays, first published in 1903, Du Bois dares as no one has before to describe the magnitude of American racism and demand an end to it. He draws on his own life for illustration, from his early experiences teaching in the hills of Tennessee to the death of his infant son and his historic break with the conciliatory position of Booker T. Washington. Far ahead of its time, The Souls Of Black Folk both anticipated and inspired much of the black conciousness and activism of the 1960's and is a classic in the literature of civil rights. The elegance of DuBois's prose and the passion of his message are as crucial today as they were upon the book's first publication. Introduction by Arnold Rampersad (Book Jacket Status: Not Jacketed) nThe Souls of Black Folk is both a groundbreaking work of sociology and an influential cornerstone of African-American literature. From the moment it was published in 1903, this unique and stirring blend of history, essay, fiction, and memoir set the terms of the conversation about race in America and established W. E. B. Du Bois's enduring reputation as poet, prophet, and scholar. Du Bois famously named the problem of the color line that still haunts us today and diagnosed the double consciousness of a people forced to live behind a veil. In raising that veil, his book makes an impassioned claim for the power and potential of black culture, the accomplishments of its art, the depths of its spirituality, and its capacity for grandeur in thought and expression. With the lyricism of his prose and the ease with which he moves from the immediacy of journalism and sociology to the permanence of literature, Du Bois transforms a profound historical dilemma into the matter of art. But more importantly, by tracing the tragic past that led to the inequities of the present, he outlined the way forward in the struggle for freedom. It is a testament to his prescience that after more than a century his masterpiece retains its relevance and uncompromising power. nThe Souls of Black Folk is both a groundbreaking work of sociology and an influential cornerstone of African-American literature. From the moment it was published in 1903, this unique and stirring blend of history, essay, fiction, and memoir set the