Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins was a significant African-American author who emerged as a pioneer of the novel. In her work, she masterfully intertwined romantic elements with a profound exploration of social and racial themes, paving the way for future generations. Her writings are characterized not only by literary quality but also by a courageous examination of contemporary societal issues. The influence of W. E. B. Du Bois is evident in her work, adding another layer of intellectual depth and historical importance to her texts.
A lost worlds thriller written in 1902 by the pioneering black writer of black fiction. The story of Reuel is fuelled by love, betrayal and a heavy undertow of the supernatural; an impulsive medical student he travels from Boston to Ethiopia, discovers a hidden city, ancient treasure and his own heritage. New edition with a new introduction.
(Including Hagar's Daughter, Winona, and Of One Blood)
First published in May 1900, the Colored American Magazine provided a pioneering forum for black literary talent previously stifled by lack of encouragement and opportunity. Not only a prolific writer for the journal, Pauline Hopkins also served as one of its powerful editorial forces. This volume of her magazine novels, which appeared serially in the journal between March 1901 and November 1903, reveals Hopkins' commitment to fiction as a vehicle for social change. She weaves important political themes into the narrative formulas of nineteenth-century dime-store novels and story papers, which emphasize suspense, action, complex plotting, multiple and false identities, and the use of disguise. Offering both instruction and entertainment, Hopkins' novels also expose the limitations of popular American narrative forms when telling the stories of black characters.