During the last two decades, African American writers have emerged as a distinct and dominant force in world literature. This force has been gathering momentum since the 1950s, when James Baldwin published some of his most compelling works and Ralph Ellison stunned the literary establishment with his dazzling Invisible Man (1952). Empowered by the Civil Rights Movement and revitalized by the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, this force became more potent and pervasive. The publication of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye in 1970 was a major event in the literary history of the United States. With a voice as original as America itself, she began to conquer the English language and redefine the international literary landscape. Along with Morrison, scores of African American writers have mapped bold new territories and firmly entrenched themselves in the forefront of contemporary American literature. This reference book is a guide to the lives, works, and achievements of 79 contemporary African American novelists.Through alphabetically arranged entries written by expert contributors, this volume offers lively, concise, and current information about these writers. Each entry begins with a biographical sketch of the author, provides a judicious critical assessment of the author's major works and themes, gives a representative sample of the critical responses the author's novels have elicited, and concludes with a selected bibliography that lists the author's publications as well as useful secondary material. Included are major figures, such as Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, James Baldwin, and Ralph Ellison. There are also entries for many noteworthy but lesser known figures, such as Tina McElroy Ansa, Bebe Moore Campbell, Randall Kenan, Reginald McKnight, Marita Golden, and Arthur Flowers. Some are popular writers with mass appeal, such as Terri McMillan and Frank Yerby; others, such as Octavia E. Butler, are known for their science fiction. Still others are distinguished poets or playwrights who have also published one or more significant novels. Of the 79 novelists profiled, 41 are women, and roughly a dozen have identified themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Thus the volume demonstrates the enormous diversity of these writers and the breadth of their contribution to world literature.

PrefaceIntroduction by Deborah G. PlantTina McElroy Ansa by Joyce L. CherryDoris Jean Austin by Evra JonesJames Baldwin by Emmanuel S. NelsonToni Cade Bambara by Nanette MortonBarry Beckam by Loretta G. WoodardHal Bennet by Adam MeyerDavid Henry Bradley, Jr. by Marilyn Damarest ButtonGwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Hotte MassaCecil Morris Brown by Samuel B. GarrenFrank London Brown by Charles TitaEd Bullins by Peggy Stevenson RatliffOctavia E. Butler by AnnLouise KeatingBebe Moore Campbell by Joyce Russell-RobinsonBarbara Chase-Riboud by Sarah McKeeAlice Childress by Terry NovakMichelle Cliff by Cora AgatucciCyrus Colter by Leela KapaiSteven Corbin by Terrence J. McGovernSamuel Delany by Grace SikorskiWilliam Dembey by Peter G. ChristensenMelvin Dixon by André HoyrdLarry Duplechan by Emmanuel S. NelsonRalph Waldo Ellison by Harish ChanderArthur R. Flowers by Ymitri JayasunderaLeon Forrest by Dana A. WilliamsAlbert French by Jeff LoebErnest J. Gaines by Eberhard AlsenMarita Golden by Loretta G. WoodardSam Greenlee by Adam MeyerBill Gunn by P. Jane SplawnE. Lynn Harris by Grace SikorskiChester B. Himes by Bruce A. Glasrud and Laurie ChampionKristin Hunter by Rennie SimsonBlyden Jackson by Gwendolyn S. JonesCharles Johnson by Christian MorauGayl Jones by Kimberly N. BrownJune Jordan by Kimberly N. BrownWilliam Melvin Kelley by Anissa J. WardiRandall Kenan by Chris RoarkJohn Oliver Killens by Harish ChanderJamaica Kincaid by Ymitri JayasunderaAndrea Lee by Sarala KrishnamurthyAudrey Lee by Charles TitaPhilip Lewis by Jeffrey DunhamAudre Lorde by AnnLouise KeatingClarence Major by Tracie Church GuzzioPaule Marshall by Shanna D. GreeneSharon Bell Mathis by Gwendolyn S. JonesJohn A. McCluskey, Jr. by Laurie ChampionTerri McMillan by Rita B. DandridgeLouise Meriwether by Kathy WhiteToni Morrison by Eberhard AlsenWalter Mosley by Kristina L. KnottsAlbert Murray by Roy KayWalter Dean Myers by Terry NovakGloria Naylor by Sarah Wheliss and Emmanuel S. NelsonAnn Petry by Marlene D. AllenCarlene Hatcher Polite by Frank-Damien MvuyekureDoris Sanders by Nicholyn HutchinsonSapphire by Tracey WaltersGil Scott-Heron by Suzanne Hotte MassaNtosake Shange by Sarah Wheliss and Emmanuel S. NelsonCharlotte Watson Sherman by Bindu MalieckalAnn Allen Shockley by Adenike Marie DavidsonApril Sinclair by Jacqueline C. JonesEllease Sutherland by Cherron A. BarnwellJoyce Carol Thomas by Amy E. EarhartDawn Turner Trice by Lean'tin BracksAlice Walker by Molly RodenMargaret Walker by Annette DeboDorothy West by A. Yemisi JimohJohn Edgar Wideman by Robin LucySherley Anne Williams by Trela AndersonJacqueline Woodson by Nicola MorrisSarah Elizabeth Wright by Linda M. WhiteFrank Garvin Yerby by Louis Hill PrattIndex