In The Vintage Book of African American Poetry, editors Harper and Walton present the definitive collection of black verse in the United States - from the neoclassical stylings of slave - born Phillis Wheatley to the pst modern artistry of Yuslef Komunyakaa. Here is the oracular vision of Nobel Prize winner Derek Walcott, the plaintive rhapsodies of an imprisioned Etheridge Knight. Here, too, is a landmark exploration of lesser known artists - including perhaps the tradition's most accomplished practicioner, Sterling A. Brown - whose efforts birthed the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts movements - and changed forver not only our national literature but the course of America itself. Meticulously researched, thoughtfully structured, The Vintage Book of African American Poetry is a collection of inestimable value to all those interested in the ever-evolving tradition that is American poetry.
