This is a comprehensive biography on Jean Toomer who was known as the Herald of the Harlem Renaissance. The author delves into the esoteric nature of many of Toomer's life experiences.

Shortly after the 1923 publication of his Cane, a collage of poems, short stories, and sketches that depict the life of black Americans in both the rural South and the urban North, Toomer became a follower of spiritual leader Georges Gurdjieff. His published writing centered on those teachings for the next 20 years, until he became a Quaker in 1940, and published articles in that vein until 1950. Here are 45 poems and stories that have not appeared in previous collections, arranged in chronological sections from 1922 to 1950. Griffin (U. of South Carolina) provides a brief biographical sketch, but neither index nor bibliography. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

The novel is structured as a series of vignettes revolving around the origins and experiences of African Americans in the United States.

2022 Reprint of the 1931 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition and not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. "Jean Toomer was one of the great literary figures from the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920's. His signature work, Cane, is familiar to most people who have studied African-American literature. Lesser known to readers is this brilliant work, Essentials, published in 1931. After his success with Cane, Toomer disappeared from the literary scene to pursue his own philosophical and psychological inquiries. Toomer sought enlightenment in the teachings of George Gurdjieff. During this time (1924-1935), Toomer published this slim volume offering his attempts to grapple with the experience of what it means to be human. Essentials is a collection of Toomer's ponderings in his search for wholeness in a fragmented world. Drawing on modern psychology and eastern religious belief Toomer falls into the company of Emerson, Thoreau and Gibran as he deals with that which is transcendent. He revives the use of aphorisms to convey timeless truths in a world which is incapable of moving beyond its limited definitions of life. Long ignored, this work gives us a glimpse of Toomer's metaphysical tendencies. Through it we capture another alternative view of dealing with reality. It is essential reading for anyone interested in metaphysics, African-American literature, and Toomer; it also serves as a example of a Black writer who refused to be limited by definitions of race for his life. Think on his words. Grow in the wisdom shared by a great literary giant of the 20th century." Amazon Review by Bonita L. Davis, on November 28, 2000

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This volume offers a survey of American short fiction in 59 tales that combine classic works with 'different, unexpected gems', which invite readers to explore a wealth of important pieces by women and minority writers. Authors include: Amy Tan, Alice Adams, David Leavitt and Tim O'Brien.

Narrative, gender, and history in Winesburg, Ohio -- Sherwood Anderson and primitivism -- Double dealing in the South : Waldo Frank, Sherwood Anderson, Jean Toomer, and the ethnography of region -- "Things are so immediate in Georgia": articulating the South in Cane -- Cane, body technologies, and genealogy -- Cane, audience, and form.