New Orleans: A Writer's City

This book explores how the writers who have lived in New Orleans' neighborhoods have responded to their environments, reflecting the city's precarious relation to its watery surroundings and the legacies of race. The literature shows that these themes have been present for several generations, including masquerade, dreams of escape, the innocence of children, and the power of money, violence, or memory.

Format: Hardback
Length: 314 pages
Publication date: 02 March 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

The neighborhoods of New Orleans have nurtured an extraordinary literary legacy that has placed the city uniquely in the human imagination. Spanning over a century and a half, these stories and songs have shaped the city's identity. This book takes readers on a journey along five thoroughfares, namely Royal, St. Claude, Esplanade, Basin, and St. Charles, to explore how writers who have lived in these areas have responded to the shared environments in similar ways. While the city's relationship with its watery surroundings and the complex legacies of race remain prominent on the outskirts, New Orleans literature reveals that these themes have been deeply intertwined with the city's writers for several generations. These themes manifest through various aspects, such as masquerade, dreams of escape, the innocence of children, the power of money, violence, memory, and more. Through their works, New Orleans writers have explored the complexities of their city and its inhabitants, offering a rich tapestry of narratives that reflect the city's unique spirit and history.

Weight: 670g
Dimension: 235 x 162 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781316512067