Black Literature not rooted in black tropes (such as.. Slavery, Jim Crow, Modern Day Microagressions)

[ObsidianDev]

the black american authors yall are trying to belittle

No one is belittling them as authors, it's simply a critique of the same old subject matter that has reached the best-sellers lists for Black authors for the better part of thirty years.

In fact, it's my belief that modern day Black authors such as Coates are strong enough writers to not have to hang their hats on the "We Gon Be Alright" tropes that Black authors seem to be pigeonholed into.

If you ask me, the bulk of the literary world (including the publishers, critics, and wider audience) is similar to that of Hollywood, which is say that if a Black creator is involved, then only Black trauma and heartache can be discussed should you want a sniff at getting noticed, let alone an award or a feature in The New Yorker.

Like everything else, Black pain has been commodified and dispersed widely (in the nation that birthed the majority of it, no less) for entertainment and financial gain.

Tears can move the hearts of many. The tears of Black people enlarge bank accounts.

 

[Fill Collins]

this thread reads no different than a "Black americans have no culture" topic

black american lit is very diverse some of yall just have laziness to research or just dont like the concepts at hand of slavery, jim crow, etc

I just want a Black author like Bukowski tbh, I don't like sci fi or fantasy novels in general

I spent a night looking for low brow Black lit and I kept going in circles seeing those hood novels

 

[Cadillac]

No one is belittling them as authors, it's simply a critique of the same old subject matter that has reached the best-sellers lists for Black authors for the better part of thirty years.

you are when your saying

"where is our *insert some nonblack american author yall like* who isnt writing about overcoming or romance novels"

when we have had plenty from past to to present that are black american answers to them

again the issue is some of yall(not speaking to you specifically) just dont like the concepts/topics or themes by black american writers that are touched on

because their writing from their respective cultures and views like everybody else you guys are praising.


the best sellers list is politics and as somebody said very liberal, that is more the businesss/industry fault then the black american literary scene fault. even then you still get black american authors who do get shine, awards, etc. NK Jemisin prolly wrote the real last great and impactful fantasy triology in the past 10 years.

its something you see people recommend all the time as the primary modern sci fi/fantasy series.

 

[earthwalka]

and they have shined, Coates, Mcbridge, etc

murakami is no different than the black american authors yall are trying to belittle, all his work centers around japanese culture and japanese life.

no different then how black american authors do it with black american life and black american society.

Taking different genres, elements, story tropes and centering it on their culture.

if your whole thing is about not having stories that are romance, or them being strggle stories. you can avoid them because there are stories from alot of black authors that dont touch on that stuff

let me just make this clear. This is not a thread meant to belittle black literature or black art in general. Our culture is very rich.

 

[Cadillac]

I just want a Black author like Bukowski tbh, I don't like sci fi or fantasy novels in general

Then read Wanda Coleman, she is a black female version of him and they were friends

if you want raunchy, dirty realism poetry there you go

I spent a night looking for low brow Black lit and I kept going in circles seeing those hood novels

thats your fault, learn how to use google and do research

 

[RamsayBolton]

this thread reads no different than a "Black americans have no culture" topic

black american lit is very diverse some of yall just have laziness to research or just dont like the concepts at hand of slavery, jim crow, etc

nikkas been doing that shyt of turning slavery on its head, blacks fighting back

one of the stories i mentioned Standing By The Scratch Line by Guy Johnson features a Black man going across America and in Europe kicking Racist CAC ass.

Colson whitehead has a John Henry novel


some of you just want black american writers to be on some escapist african mythology fantasy/sci fi shyt.

Lets just get to the meat of yalls issue thats what yall want. its not about how black americans twist and turn slavery, jim crow, etc





which is why this topic reads no diff than a "black americans have no culture" because this comes down to black americans needing africaness to solidify themselves in yall eyes.
In this case its black literature

OP already clarified what they meant in the thread tbh, it's not as bad as it seems

and its interesting seeing what sort of books are TLR approved tbh

 

[ObsidianDev]

the best sellers list is politics and as somebody said very liberal, that is more the businesss/industry fault then the black american literary scene fault.

Ah, I see what you're saying. We essentially have the same view, we're just displaying it from a different angles.

My stance is that I'm annoyed by the literary industry constantly propping up hard-luck tales of Black struggle. And because these stories receive the most attention, it seems like other Black writers feel pressured into following suit to get any "real" recognition to the point to where the average college freshman or novel-obsessed soccer mom would recognize their name.

 

[Cadillac]

OP already clarified what they meant in the thread tbh, it's not as bad as it seems

and its interesting seeing what sort of books are TLR approved tbh

it is when you read the rest of this thread.

its easy to pickup the tone of whats being said here, and the thing is these "black authors" yall want as answers to nonblack american authors are present and are well known, respected, and revered.

question is why dont some of yall know about them?

My favourite author is Robert Bolano and his book 2666 is one of the greatest pieces of literature of the 21st century. There’s even a portion of the book told through the perspective of a young American bruh. I was shocked at how well he wrote that voice and how it fits into the story, considering he was a 50 something year old Chilean when he wrote it.

plenty of black american authors have done this, in Five carat soul by mcbride he writes from a perspective of a jewish man toy collector

writing from the perspectvie of someone of another culture/race is something that any adequate let alone great writer can do if they aint racist POS of course and put in the effort.

 

[RamsayBolton]

question is why dont some of yall know about them?

OP does know some, not all of them

and honestly who cares

the point is that OP wants to know them now. Why shame them for not knowing earlier? What does that accomplish?

 

[breakfuss]

Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah

 

[Cadillac]

Why shame them for not knowing earlier? What does that accomplish?

if you know even half of the authors op posted, then you should surely know black authors i posted and others

its not difficult. alot of these black American Authors are well known, acclaimed, and are popular.

so that only tells me one thing

 

[ORDER_66]

i just bought @ORDER_66's book...

i understand what the OP is getting at. i recently read some junji ito and wished somebody black was doing that.

 

[ORDER_66]

Say what? $4 dollars for that book? What you think a brotha made of money? I know you got a discount code or something right?

Oh snap they got that new George RR Martin book too? It's $27, but I'm gonna go ahead and give him $30, can't be having that man out here starvin. Ya feel me?

Back to you my brotha....... I know you got that 75% discount for ya boy eh?


Nah but seriously. It sounds dope. I just ordered it. Can't wait to check it out.

 

[mbewane]

Noticing a severe lack of varied writings from black authors. There is a lack of black male authors as well. You look at some of the top books by black authors, it's mostly female writers and the ones who are male are often times writing queer stories as well. So who do we have from past to present writing fiction (or nonfiction) that isn't strictly rooted in the typical tropes we see. Most of the books I've seen written today and even in the past have to do with "the Black Experience" but are there any black authors just writing about the human experience? This is not to say that we don't have great books being written today by black authors but I just think we've been pigeon held into telling only certain types of stories.

Where are our black postmodernists?

Where are our Haurki Murakami's, our Fyodor Dostoevsky's, Thomas Pynchon's, Don DeLillo's, David Foster Wallace, Cormac McCarthy, Gaddis, etc

Latin American writers have a rich history of post modernism. Roberto Bolaño, Jose Saramago, Julio Cortazar. shyt Miguel Cervantes, the founder

Japanese writers like Sayaka Murata, Natsuo Kirino and Ryu Murakami

Such varied literature that has its roots in their prospective cultures but is solely unique in its story telling, backdrops, and messaging.

Octavia Butler is one of our great writers. Her books are incredible. I've also heard great things about NK Jemisin and Marlon James. but who else do we have? Who else am I missing? Are there black authors not just telling black stories? put me on.

We have some postmodern filmmakers working today at least. Donald Glover with Atlanta, Terrence Nance, Boots Riley with Sorry To Bother You (truly one of our great modern works that doesn't just capture the black experience in relation to capitalism, but America in general.)

Saramago wasn't Latin American, but Portuguese.

Also your list only have about European/White American, Latin American, Japanese writers but not one African writer : Sony Labou Tansi, Ngugi Wa Thiongo, Amos Tutuola, Alain Mabankou all write/wrote about "the human experience" for example. But obviously wht you call the "human experience" is different given each person's context and it won't be the same for a white man and a black man. Obviously writers that aren't oppressed won't have the backdrop of oppression to deal with and are freer to just explore other artistic aspects of writing

 

[Piff Perkins]

Seems demeaning and dismissive to hand wave off black experiences as "black tropes" in literature while simultaneously asking where is the black version of white works that largely deal with similar themes, outside of the race aspect. The violence and inner turmoil in Cormac McCarthy's works could be compared to the violence and inner turmoil in James Baldwin's (fiction) works.