Gayl Jones Books

An intense, searing novel exploring the damage of racial and sexual violence.

Selected by The Atlantic as one of THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVELS. ("You have to read them.") One of The New Yorker’s “The Best Books We Read in 2020” picks “Jones’s great achievement is to reckon with both history and interiority, and to collapse the boundary between them.”—Anna Wiener, The New Yorker The new edition of an American masterpiece, this is the harrowing story of Ursa Corregidora, a blues singer in the early 20th century forced to confront the inherited trauma of slavery. A literary classic that remains vital to our understanding of the past, Corregidora is Gayl Jones’s powerful debut novel, examining womanhood, sexuality, and the psychological residue of slavery. Jones masterfully tells the story of Ursa, a Kentucky blues singer, who, in the wake of a tragic loss, confronts her maternal history and the legacy of Corregidora, the Brazilian slave master who fathered both her mother and grandmother. Consumed and haunted by her hatred of the man who irrevocably shaped her life and the lives of her family, Ursa Corregidora must come to terms with a past that is never too distant from the present. Selected, edited, and first edited by Toni Morrison, it is “the most brutally honest and painful revelation of what has occurred, and is occurring, in the souls of Black men and women,” (James Baldwin) and “a tale as American as Mount Rushmore and as murky as the Florida swamps.” (Maya Angelou).

Harlan Jane Eagleton transforms herself from a minor rock star's manager to a traveling faith healer in this lyrical and often humorous exploration of the struggle to let go of pain, anger, and even love. "A major literary event . . . surprising, romantic, and wholly satisfying." -Veronica Chambers, Newsweek

"Set in a south Texas border town, Mosquito is the story of an African-American truck driver's accidental yet growing involvement in "the new underground railroad," a sanctuary movement for Mexican immigrants."-- Provided by publisher

"Two epic poems, the love songs of fugitive slaves, set in 17th-century Brazil"-- Provided by publisher

A dazzling collection of short fiction from Pulitzer and National Book Award Finalist, Gayl Jones

An exciting new novel from a major voice in American literature - exploring artists in exile, dangerous relationships and the demands of creativity.

First discovered and edited by Toni Morrison, Gayl Jones has been described as one of the great literary writers of the 20th century. Now, for the first time in over 20 years, Jones is ready to publish again. Palmares is the first of five new works by Gayl Jones to be published in the next two years, rewarding longtime fans and bringing her talent to a new generation of readers. Intricate and compelling, Palmares recounts the journey of Almeyda, a Black slave girl who comes of age on Portuguese plantations and escapes to a fugitive slave settlement called Palmares. Following its destruction, Almeyda embarks on a journey across colonial Brazil to find her husband, lost in battle. Her story brings to life a world impacted by greed, conquest, and colonial desire. She encounters a mad lexicographer, desperate to avoid military service; a village that praises a god living in a nearby cave; and a medicine woman who offers great magic, at a greater price

This novel showcases a blend of rich imagination and emotional depth, crafted by a Pulitzer finalist known for their previous acclaimed work, Corregidora. The story promises to engage readers with its unique narrative and profound themes, inviting them into a world that is both captivating and thought-provoking.