About the book
The highly acclaimed novelist and biographer Albert Murray tells his classic memoir of growing up in Alabama during the 1920s and 1930s in South to a Very Old Place. Intermingling remembrances of youth with engaging conversation, African-American folklore, and astute cultural criticism, it is at once an intimate personal journey and an incisive social history, informed by “the poet’s language, the novelist’s sensibility, the essayist’s clarity, the jazzman’s imagination, the gospel singer's depth of feeling” (The New Yorker).
“His perceptions are firmly based in the blues idiom, and it is black music no less than literary criticism and historical analysis that gives his work its authenticity, its emotional vigor and its tenacious hold on the intellect. . . . [It] destroys some fashionable sociopolitical interpretations of growing up black.”—Toni Morrison, The New York Times Book Review
Editions of South to a Very Old Place
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780679601470
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780679736950
- EBook
- ISBN 9780307828613
Read an Excerpt
The highly acclaimed novelist and biographer Albert Murray tells his classic memoir of growing up in Alabama during the 1920s and 1930s in South to a Very Old Place. Intermingling remembrances of youth with engaging conversation, African-American folklore, and astute cultural criticism, it is at once an intimate personal journey and an incisive social history, informed by “the poet’s language, the novelist’s sensibility, the essayist’s clarity, the jazzman’s imagination, the gospel singer's depth of feeling” (The New Yorker).
“His perceptions are firmly based in the blues idiom, and it is black music no less than literary criticism and historical analysis that gives his work its authenticity, its emotional vigor and its tenacious hold on the intellect. . . . [It] destroys some fashionable sociopolitical interpretations of growing up black.”—Toni Morrison, The New York Times Book Review
Frequently Asked Questions
What is South to a Very Old Place about?
The highly acclaimed novelist and biographer Albert Murray tells his classic memoir of growing up in Alabama during the 1920s and 1930s in South to a Very Old Place. Intermingling remembrances of youth with engaging conversation, African-American folklore, and astute cultural criticism, it is at once an intimate personal journey and an incisive social history, informed by “the poet’s language, the novelist’s sensibility, the essayist’s clarity, the jazzman’s imagination, the gospel singer's depth of feeling” (The New Yorker).
“His perceptions are firmly based in the blues idiom, and it is black music no less than literary criticism and historical analysis that gives his work its authenticity, its emotional vigor and its tenacious hold on the intellect. . . . [It] destroys some fashionable sociopolitical interpretations of growing up black.”—Toni Morrison, The New York Times Book Review
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in South to a Very Old Place?
Biography, Literature and Literary studies > Biography and non-fiction prose > Biography: general > Biography: writers
Where can I read a sample of South to a Very Old Place?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780679601470
Who is/are the Author/s of the book South to a Very Old Place?
Albert Murray
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
South to a Very Old Place is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780679601470) and paperback(ISBN 9780679736950) and ebook(ISBN 9780307828613)
Where can I buy South to a Very Old Place online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy South to a Very Old Place from below
Where can I buy South to a Very Old Place?