Digital rights management drm the publisher has supplied this book in encrypted form, which means that you need to install free software in order to unlock and read it. Nella larsen 18911964 was the author of several short stories and two novels, quicksand and passing. Lightskinned, elegant, and ambitious, she is married to a racist white man unaware of her african american heritage, and has severed all ties to her past after deciding to. Passing by nella larsen overdrive rakuten overdrive. Published in 1929 and set in 1920s harlem, new york city. Passing norton critical edition by nella larsen abebooks. Nella larsens 1929 novella, passing, is an incredible, dark exploration of the lengths to which people go to secure personal happiness. Nella larsens powerful, thrilling, and tragic tale about the fluidity of racial identity that continues to resonate today. Passing refers to what both the main female characters can do in this book.
Passing novel project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks read. Set in the late 1920s, its the story of a young upperclass woman, irene and her childhood friend clare. First published to critical acclaim in 1929, passing firmly established nella larsens prominence among women writers of the harlem. Nella larsens novels quicksand 1928 and passing 1929 document the historical realities of harlem in the 1920s and shed a bright light on the social world of the black bourgeoisie. Nella larsen the beautiful, elegant, and ambitious clare kendry leads a dangerous life. Passing ebook the seattle public library bibliocommons. Nella larsen first called nellie walker 1891 1964 was a black american novelist of the harlem renaissance who wrot. During this effervescent decade, writers and thinkers like nella larsen, poet langston hughes, novelist zora neal hurston, and activists marcus garvey and w. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. An important figure in the harlem renaissance, nella larsen was the first africanamerican woman to be awarded a guggenheim fellowship. The novels greatest appeal and achievement, however, is not sociological, but psychological.
She and her husband, brian, a prominent physician, share a comfortable harlem town house with their sons. Nella larsens passing, a captivating and prescient exploration of identity, sexuality, selfinvention, class, and race set amidst the pealing boisterousness of the jazz age. In 1928 her first novel quicksand was published to great critical acclaim. One, irene redfield, marries a black man and lives in harlem, while the other, clare. She studied in america and denmark and throughout her writing career she worked as a childrens librarian and primarily as a nurse. Irene is black, but like her author, the danishafrican american nella larsen a star of the 1920s to mid1930s. She received a guggenheim fellowship to write a third novel in 1930 but, unable to find a publisher for it, she disappeared. In the context of a highly raceconscious 1920s urban society, its storyline and characters lives and times are fascinating, and there isnt a person of any race or gender who couldnt relate to at least some of the challenges faced by irene, clare, and brian. First published to critical acclaim in 1929, passing is a remarkable exploration of the shifting racial and sexual boundaries in 1920s new york, and still carries relevance today as a modern classic. Due dates are extended until we reopen, so please keep your library materials for now. Nella larsen 18911964 was one of the leading figures of the harlem renaissance.
Passing isbn 978151544 pdf epub nella larsen ebook. The novel focuses on two childhood friends clare and irene, both of whom are light skinned enough to pass as white, who have reconnected with one another after many years apart. In several children in which are accepted by charles im a blue. A lightskinned african american married to a white man unaware of her racial heritage, clare has severed all ties to her. In this psychologically gripping and chilling novel, nella larsen explores the blurriness of race, sacrifice, alienation, and desire that defined her own experience as a woman of mixed race, issues that still powerfully resonate today. Larsen was an african american, seeing with a rather steely eye into some of the uncomfortable accommodations which might be made in order to best gain the riches and rewards which america offered the educated. A new york times editors choice clare kendry is living on the edge. Her fictional portraits of women seeking their identities through a fog of racial confusion were informed by her own danishwest indian parentage, and passing offers fascinating psychological insights into. Passing free ebook passing by nella larsen across multiple fileformats including epub, doc, and pdf. Both are lightskinned african american women, both can pass for white. Irene redfield marries an africanamerican doctor and moves to harlem. Irene redfield, the novels protagonist, is a woman with an enviable life.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Soon to be a major motion picture two women in 1920s new york discover how fluid and dangerous our perceptions of race can be. The plot centers on the meeting of two childhood friends of mixedrace africanamerican ancestry. She wished to find out about this hazardous business of. Clare kendy, on the other hand, marries a bigoted white man never. Nella larsens passing was originally published in 1929, and is a chilling, chilly account of the politics of race, class and gender. Nella larsen, a novelist of the harlem renaissance, wrote two brilliant novels that interrogated issues of gender and race. African american harlem renaissance race relations territory. Passing study guide from litcharts the creators of. First published to critical acclaim in 1929, passing firmly established nella larsens prominence among women writers of the harlem renaissance. Nella larsen author nella larsen 18911964 was the author of several short stories and two novels, quicksand and passing. Passing by nella larsen generally regarded as nella larsens best work, passing was first published in 1929 but has received a lot of renewed attention. Ultimately, larsen forces us to consider whether we can ever truly choose who we are. The heroine of passing takes an elevator from the infernal august chicago streets to the breezy rooftop of the heavenly drayton hotel, wafted upward on a magic carpet to another world, pleasant, quiet, and strangely remote from the sizzling one that she had left below.
Passing ebook by nella larsen 9788827573242 rakuten kobo. An important figure in the harlem renaissance, nella larsen was the first africanamerican. While she was not prolific her work was powerful and critically acclaimed. Libraries closed through at least may 4 all library locations and book drops are closed until at least may 4. This particular novel is starting to become popular again as it is used on courses throughout the us university system. She received a guggenheim fellowship to write a third novel in 1930 but, unable to find a publisher for it, she disappeared from the literary. Clares childhood friend, irene redfield, just as lightskinned, has chosen to remain within the african american community. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading passing oshun publishing africanamerican history series book 5. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. When childhood friends irene redfield and clare kendry cross paths at a whitesonly restaurant, its. Nella larsens passing is a beautifully written, touching novela masterpiece of 1920s american literature. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading passing. Nella larson was a writer of the harlem renaissance, but after only a few stories she stopped writing for public consumption.
Restless classics presents the ninetieth anniversary edition of an undersung gem of the harlem renaissance. First published to critical acclaim in 1929, passing firmly established nella larsen s prominence among women writers of the harlem renaissance. Nella larsen was an important writer associated with the harlem renaissance. Passing by nella larsen welcome to the second week of the harlem renaissance on the classics circuit. Nella larsens distinctive and revealing novel about racial identity set in new york in 1929. She received a guggenheim fellowship to write a third novel in 1930 but, unable to find a publisher for it, she disappeared from the literary s. Passing ebook by nella larsen 9781627554022 rakuten kobo. Passing oshun publishing africanamerican history series. The modern library is proud to present passing an electrifying story of two women who cross the color line in 1920s new yorktogether with a new introduction by the obie award winning playwright and novelist. Clare kendry and irene redfiel are friends from old and a chance meeting sees them rekindle a forgotten friendship. Born in chicago to a danish mother and a west indian father, the latter of whom died when she was two, she worked as a nurse and a childrens librarian before her f. In passing, nella larsen has composed a novel that simultaneously engages several levels of the human experience and, through insightful psychological portraiture, illuminates the.
This acclaimed book by nella larsen is available at in several formats for your ereader. In passing, her second novel published in 1929, she examines the troubled friendship between two mixedrace women who can pass as white. Passing ebook by nella larsen 9781773232492 rakuten kobo. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read passing.
As early as 1925, nella larsen had decided that she wanted to be among the new negro writers who were receiving considerable attention at the time. Read passing by nella larsen available from rakuten kobo. She received a guggenheim fellowship to write a third novel in 1930 but, unable to find a publisher for it, she disappeared from the literary scene and worked as a nurse. Passing was written during the harlem renaissance, a period spanning the 1920s during which black literature, intellectual thought, music, and art flourished. Fair, elegant, and ambitious, she is married to a white man unaware of her african american heritage, and has severed all ties to her past. Nella larsens remarkably candid exploration of shifting racial and sexual boundaries clare kendry leads a dangerous life. Passing modern library torchbearers series by nella larsen. An illustration of a computer application window wayback machine an illustration of an open book.
Coming out just four years after the great gatsby, passing can be seen in more than one way as the harlem renaissances response to and a parallel text of fitzgeralds acknowledged masterwork. Originally published in 1929, passing tells the troublesome relationship between two africanamerican woman who are light enough to pass for white. Passing oshun publishing africanamerican history series book 5 kindle edition by larsen, nella. Passing ebook by nella larsen official publisher page simon. Passing is a novel by american author nella larsen. Dubois mingled in harlem, new york, creating art and. Nella larsen s powerful, thrilling, and tragic tale about the fluidity of racial identity that continues to resonate today. Nella larsen was born in chicago in 1891 to a white danish mother and a black west indian father. Passing norton critical editions by larsen, nella and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. She and her successful husband, brian, share a comfortable harlem townhouse with their sons. Look at me uploading on schedule i really am enjoying having a set schedule, it puts my mind at ease a bit and my uploading isnt as sporadic. Passing ebook published december 18th 2007 by modern library ebook, 304 pages authors. Nella larsen 18911964 was the author of two novels and several short stories.
1142 1155 764 325 679 546 1248 1253 1193 1322 1454 479 566 107 942 1316 475 1692 977 793 939 549 1259 572 1285 1134 61 621 292 1496 1159 245 584 186 189 281 110 407 423 372 211 417 427 273 816