A Literary Life of Sutton E. Griggs: The Man on the Firing Line

Sutton E. Griggs (1872-1933) was an African American author who published five politically engaged novels between 1899 and 1908. He spoke primarily to the Negro race, using his own Nashville-based publishing company to produce four of his novels. This literary biography draws extensively on primary sources and late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century periodicals, local and national, African American and white, challenging currently held notions about the audience for, and the content, production, and dissemination of politically engaged US black fiction.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 14 April 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Sutton E. Griggs (1872-1933) was a highly prolific African American author during the turn of the twentieth century. He wrote five politically engaged novels that appeared between 1899 and 1908. Unlike his Northern contemporaries Paul Laurence Dunbar and Charles Chesnutt, Griggs primarily addressed the Negro race, using his own publishing company based in Nashville to produce four of his novels. Griggs also served as a pastor of Baptist churches in three Southern states and played a significant role in the influential but understudied National Baptist Convention. Until recently, there was limited knowledge about Griggs' personal and professional life. As a result, critics were forced to speculate about the methods he employed to publish his literary works. This literary biography, the first written about the author, relies extensively on primary sources and late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century periodicals, both local and national, African American and white. Through these materials, a different portrayal of Sutton Griggs emerges. He is revealed as a dynamic figure who dedicated himself to literature for a longer period and to a more profound extent than previously imagined. However, Griggs also encountered controversy due to the statements he made in his writings and the means he used to publish them. The book challenges prevailing notions about the audience for, and the content, production, and dissemination of politically engaged US black fiction. It alters our perception of the African American literature and print culture of the period.

Sutton E. Griggs was a highly prolific African American author during the turn of the twentieth century. He wrote five politically engaged novels that appeared between 1899 and 1908. Unlike his Northern contemporaries Paul Laurence Dunbar and Charles Chesnutt, Griggs primarily addressed the Negro race, using his own publishing company based in Nashville to produce four of his novels. Griggs also served as a pastor of Baptist churches in three Southern states and played a significant role in the influential but understudied National Baptist Convention. Until recently, there was limited knowledge about Griggs' personal and professional life. As a result, critics were forced to speculate about the methods he employed to publish his literary works. This literary biography, the first written about the author, relies extensively on primary sources and late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century periodicals, both local and national, African American and white. Through these materials, a different portrayal of Sutton Griggs emerges. He is revealed as a dynamic figure who dedicated himself to literature for a longer period and to a more profound extent than previously imagined. However, Griggs also encountered controversy due to the statements he made in his writings and the means he used to publish them. The book challenges prevailing notions about the audience for, and the content, production, and dissemination of politically engaged US black fiction. It alters our perception of the African American literature and print culture of the period.

Sutton E. Griggs was a highly prolific African American author during the turn of the twentieth century. He wrote five politically engaged novels that appeared between 1899 and 1908. Unlike his Northern contemporaries Paul Laurence Dunbar and Charles Chesnutt, Griggs primarily addressed the Negro race, using his own publishing company based in Nashville to produce four of his novels. Griggs also served as a pastor of Baptist churches in three Southern states and played a significant role in the influential but understudied National Baptist Convention. Until recently, there was limited knowledge about Griggs' personal and professional life. As a result, critics were forced to speculate about the methods he employed to publish his literary works. This literary biography, the first written about the author, relies extensively on primary sources and late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century periodicals, both local and national, African American and white. Through these materials, a different portrayal of Sutton Griggs emerges. He is revealed as a dynamic figure who dedicated himself to literature for a longer period and to a more profound extent than previously imagined. However, Griggs also encountered controversy due to the statements he made in his writings and the means he used to publish them. The book challenges prevailing notions about the audience for, and the content, production, and dissemination of politically engaged US black fiction. It alters our perception of the African American literature and print culture of the period.

Weight: 554g
Dimension: 242 x 166 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192856319