The Man Who Cried I Am
John A Williams author Merve Emre editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Fitzcarraldo Editions
Published:24th Apr '24
Should be back in stock very soon
This 1967 literary thriller follows Max Reddick, a terminally ill writer, as he uncovers a government plot amidst his personal struggles, revealing deep racial tensions in America and the lives of Black intellectuals.
The Man Who Cried I Am is a compelling literary thriller from 1967 that delves into the complex struggles faced by Black intellectuals and artists in the postwar era. With a foreword by Ishmael Reed and a new introduction by Merve Emre, the novel critically examines America's racial divides and the societal tensions that permeate its landscape.
The story follows Max Reddick, a novelist, journalist, and former presidential speechwriter, who has dedicated his life to navigating the turbulent waters of race relations in America. Now facing a terminal illness, Max finds himself at a crossroads as he returns to Europe for one final journey. He aims to reconcile with his estranged Dutch wife, Margrit, and pay his respects at the funeral of his friend and mentor, Harry Ames. However, his visit takes a dark turn when he discovers secret government documents among Harry's belongings, revealing a sinister plan known as 'King Alfred' designed to suppress racial unrest in America.
As Max unravels the truth behind Harry's assassination, he realizes he must act quickly to expose the shocking revelations contained in the documents. This novel not only offers a gripping narrative but also presents a rich tapestry of experiences, from the life of a Black GI to the political climate of Washington during the Civil Rights Movement. John A. Williams' work has long been overlooked, and The Man Who Cried I Am stands as a vital piece of literature that deserves renewed attention for its poignant exploration of race and identity in America.
‘Sixty years after it was first published, this shocking novel takes us on an astonishing black global journey that is historical but feels totally alive, energized and contemporary.’
— Bernardine Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, Other
‘[A]n idiosyncratic, rancorous compound of roman à clef, sociocultural history, bildungsroman, and international thriller complete with an apocalyptic ending that patched disquietingly into our worst nightmares of what white America ultimately had in mind for us. Imagine a chronicle with the sweep, breadth, and momentum of Honoré de Balzac’s Lost Illusions morphing plausibly into one of Eric Ambler’s darker and more acerbic spy melodramas. Only with Black people – sad, mad, and fiercely articulate – in the foreground.’
— Gene Seymour, Bookforum
‘It is a blockbuster, a hydrogen bomb.... This is a book white people are not ready to read yet; neither are most black people.... But [it] is the milestone produced since Native Son. Besides which, and where I should begin, it is a damn beautifully written book.’
— Chester Himes, author of Rage in Harlem
‘Magnificent ... obviously in the Baldwin and Ellison class.’
— John Fowles, author of The Magus
‘If The Man Who Cried I Am were a painting it would be done by Brueghel or Bosch. The madness and the dance is never-ending display of humanity trying to creep past inevitable Fate.’
— Walter Mosley, author of Devil in a Blue Dress
‘It’s an immensely entertaining, wacky novel with an impishness and melancholy that deals with mortality, as well as the then controversial subject of interracial relationships; and that, in some way, prefigures the paranoiac mode of much American cinema and literature of the 1970s. A great rediscovery.’
— Bartolomeo Sala, Something Curated
ISBN: 9781804270967
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
528 pages