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Plum Bun by Jessie Redmon Fauset
£13.99
Available
Product Ref. (e.g. ISBN, SKU)
9780593731956
Published:
08 Jul 2025
Format:
Paperback
Number of pages:
336 pages
Dimensions:
203x132mm
Weight:
0.367kgs
Author:
A rediscovered classic from the Harlem Renaissance about a young Black woman's journey passing as white in 1920s New York City and her quest for self-acceptance-with an introduction by Glory Edim, founder and author of Well-Read Black Girl.
A rediscovered classic from the Harlem Renaissance about a young Black woman's journey passing as white in 1920s New York City and her quest for self-acceptance—with an introduction by Glory Edim, founder and author of Well-Read Black Girl. Jessie Redmon Fauset is one of the literary titans and foremost tastemakers of the Harlem Renaissance—hired by W. E. B. Du Bois to edit The Crisis, she helped popularize writers like Nella Larsen, Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, amongst countless others. And yet, her own work has been largely underread in the twenty-first century. Written in 1929, at the height of the Harlem renaissance, Fauset's celebrated second novel tells the story of Angela Murray. Growing up in a Black middle-class Philadelphia neighborhood, Angela has always dreamed of becoming a painter. But the profession is largely reserved for white society. So when Angela's parents prematurely pass away, she moves to roaring New York City, where she befriends elite artists and presents herself as a white woman. While her sister Virginia's complexion resembles that of their father's, Angela's is lighter, like her mother's, and passing, she believes, is the only way she'll ever achieve success. Virginia, meanwhile, refuses to bow to racist pressures, and stays in Philadelphia to embrace her heritage with pride. Each time Angela thinks she's found artistic, professional, and romantic fulfillment, her ethnicity gets exposed and she finds herself stripped of everything she cares about. As she navigates a world of seduction, betrayal, lust, and heartbreak, she's forced to consider: What does it mean to find genuine success in a society marred by injustice? Fauset's "novel without morals" never passes judgement and stays teeming with tenderness. Full of moments that underline the joy of every day Black life, Plum Bun is a pertinent meditation on art, identity, and what it means to find community—as relevant today as ever before.
About the Author: Jessie Redmon Fauset (1882-1961) was a poet, essayist, novelist, and educator. A central figure in shaping the Harlem Renaissaince, Fauset served as the literary editor of the NAACP's magazine, The Crisis, from 1919 to 1926 where she published the works of writers such as Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Nella Larsen. Fauset published four novels, including There is Confusion and The Chinaberry Tree. Glory Edim is a literary tastemaker, entrepreneur, and advocate for diverse voices in literature. In 2015, she founded Well-Read Black Girl (WRBG), an online platform and book club dedicated to celebrating the works of Black women authors and creating a supportive online community for readers. Her efforts have earned her accolades such as the 2017 Innovator's Award from the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes and the Madam C.J. Walker Award from the Hurston/Wright Foundation. As an author herself, Edim has contributed to the literary landscape with her bestselling anthologies Well-Read Black Girl and On Girlhood.
| Number of pages | 336 |
|---|
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| First Item | 2 Items & Over | |
|---|---|---|
| UK | £3.75 | £5.00 |
| EU | £15.00 | £30.00 |
| USA & Canada | £30.00 | £50.00 |
| Rest of the World | £45.00 | £60.00 |
| Collect in Store | free | free |
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