Jean Toomer: Writer for a New America by Hutchinson, George
Jean Toomer: Writer for a New America by Hutchinson, George

Jean Toomer: Writer for a New America

A critical biography of Harlem Renaissance writer Jean Toomer and his lifelong struggle to transcend race, by...
$33.60 USD
$33.60 USD
Please hurry! Only 1034 left in stock
Author: George Hutchinson
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Subtotal: $33.60
Jean Toomer: Writer for a New America by Hutchinson, George

Jean Toomer: Writer for a New America

$33.60
Jean Toomer: Writer for a New America by Hutchinson, George

Jean Toomer: Writer for a New America

$33.60
Author: George Hutchinson
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Description
A critical biography of Harlem Renaissance writer Jean Toomer and his lifelong struggle to transcend race, by an award-winning author

The poet and novelist Jean Toomer (1894-1967) was among the most influential figures of the Harlem Renaissance, inspiring generations of Black writers with his 1923 modernist masterwork Cane. Yet his mission was to awaken Americans to the formation of a new "American" race that would supersede the "old" racial categories. Award-winning biographer George Hutchinson reveals how Toomer's racial theory shaped both his literary genius and his personal struggles.

Born into the Black elite in Washington, D.C., Toomer was highly sensitive to the color line and able to move across it. Toomer engaged in a lifelong struggle to be released from this system, reinventing himself racially, spiritually, and artistically not as a Black man but as a "superman." From his early attraction to physical culture through his search for Cosmic Consciousness, Toomer aspired to shape a new modern sensibility alongside his bohemian contemporaries Georgia O'Keeffe, Alfred Stieglitz, Langston Hughes, and Nella Larsen. Yet his refusal to identify as Black, in tandem with his messianic calling, came at the cost of his literary career and the women who loved him.

Hutchinson shows how the tortures of American racism shaped Toomer's life--and how the struggle to birth a new "American" identity marks his art.

Author: George Hutchinson
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 08/18/2026
Pages: 344
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.32lbs
Size: 9.71h x 6.17w x 1.16d
ISBN: 9780300267730


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 08/01/2026

About the Author
George Hutchinson is the Newton C. Farr Professor of American Culture and the George Reed Professor of Writing and Rhetoric at Cornell University. He is the award-winning author of several books, including In Search of Nella Larsen: A Biography of the Color Line and the Pulitzer Prize-nominated The Harlem Renaissance in Black and White. He is editor of the Penguin Classics edition of Jean Toomer's Cane. Hutchinson lives in Trumansburg, NY.
Shipping & Return

Returns Policy

You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.

Shipping

We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.

When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.

Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.

Review