James

James is an enthralling novel that leaves an indelible mark, forcing us to see Mark Twain''s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in a wholly new and transformative light. From the shadows of Huck Finn''s mischievous spirit, Jim emerges to reclaim his voice, defying the conventions that have consigned him to the margins. Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize for his novel The Trees , Professor Percival Everett is one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime. 1861, The Mississippi River. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a new owner in New Orleans and separated from his wife and daughter for ever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson''s Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, who recently returned to town. Thus begins a dangerous and transcendent journey by raft along the Mississippi River, toward the elusive promise of the free states and beyond. As James and Huck begin to navigate the treacherous waters, each bend in the river holds the promise of both salvation and demise. With rumours of a brewing war, James must face the burden he carries: the family he cannot protect and the constant lie he must live. Together, the unlikely pair must face the most dangerous odyssey of them all . . .

Auteur
Percival Everett is the author of over thirty books, including Telephone, Dr No, The Trees, which was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize and won the 2022 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize, and Erasure, which was adapted into the major Oscar-winning film American Fiction. He has received the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award and the PEN Center USA Award for Fiction, has been a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and is Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California. James was a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller in hardback, and it has been shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize and the 2024 National Book Award, and was a finalist for the Orwell Prize for Fiction. Percival Everett lives in Los Angeles.

Texte du rabat

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2024. A heartbreaking and powerful retelling of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Huck's friend, the enslaved Jim.

Résumé

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2024
*From the author of *The Trees, shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and Erasure, adapted into the Oscar-winning film American Fiction.

'Truly extraordinary books are rare, and this is one of them' Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize-winning author of Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha

Enthralling and ferociously funny, James by Percival Everett is a profound meditation on identity, belonging and the sacrifices we make to protect the ones we love. It is also a bold reimagining of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as the enslaved Jim emerges to reclaim his voice and defy the conventions that have consigned him to the margins.

The Mississippi River, 1861. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a new owner in New Orleans and separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson's Island until he can formulate a plan.

Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father who recently returned to town. Thus begins a dangerous and transcendent journey by raft along the Mississippi River, towards the elusive promise of the free states and beyond. As James and Huck navigate the treacherous waters, each bend in the river holds the promise of both salvation and demise.

With rumours of a brewing war, James must face the burden he carries: the family he is desperate to protect and the constant lie he must live. And together, the unlikely pair embark on the most dangerous, and life-changing, odyssey of them all . . .

'A towering achievement' the 2024 Booker Prize judges

'Who should read this book? Every single person in the country' Ann Patchett, bestselling author of Tom Lake

'Funny, wise, gracious; this may be Everett's best book yet' Bonnie Garmus, bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry

'*Thrilling, bold and profound' *The Sunday Times

'This is the work of an American master at the peak of his powers' Financial Times

'Magnificent . . . Everett's most thrilling novel, but also his most soulful ' The New York Times