African American author Gayl Jones has a lived a life dedicated to the art of
verbal authenticity,
a style of writing both definitive of and stemming directly from her identification with the collective African American heritage. Amid widespread critical praise as well as pointed attacks for her controversial first two novels, Jones has maintained in her writings a constantly evolving cultural consciousness that provides an allegory for African American history and culture.This first single-author study of Gayl Jones recovers the work of an under-examined yet immensely skillful contemporary writer. It offers a thorough examination of her technical innovations as well as her willingness to explore controversial subject matter in order to represent a fuller range of the African American experience. The book addresses crucial themes germane to Jones’ work, including questions of Afrocentrism, diasporas, mythopoesis, post-colonialism and globalization. Several chapters offer close readings of the aesthetic and political interchanges within Jones’ fiction, drama, poetry, and criticism. Two interviews with Gayl Jones complete this comprehensive study and give historical voice to her poetics of freedom.