{"product_id":"on-morrison","title":"On Morrison","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\" \n\u003ci\u003eOn Morrison\u003c\/i\u003e is a perfect pairing of author and subject, a work of literary criticism that expands our understanding of Toni Morrison's literary work and her cultural meaning. . . . An exhilarating read that also serves as a master class in how to blend scholarly analysis with deeply personal observations.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eThe Boston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Serpell's deep but clear investigation of Morrison's literary genius is one of the best primers to an author's oeuvre I've ever read.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Esquire\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"An award-winning novelist and Harvard University professor delivers an illuminating exploration of the work of our beloved and brilliant Toni Morrison.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Essence\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"One reason \n\u003ci\u003eOn Morrison\u003c\/i\u003e was such a joy to read is that I felt guided by a writer who shares both my admiration and my fear of lionising. . . . With \n\u003ci\u003eOn Morrison\u003c\/i\u003e, Serpell has managed to deliver a book that works on many levels: as a study of craft, as a critical appraisal, and as a tribute to an artist who was difficult in all the right ways . . . a landmark appraisal.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Laila Lalami, \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"[A] lavish yet clear-eyed study . . . literary criticism at its finest.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Time\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Revelatory . . . will captivate everyone from newcomers to [Morrison's] most devoted fans.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Vulture\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Invigorating . . . an informed, accessible literary analysis.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--The Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Deeply pleasurable, rigorous, surprising, and often funny . . . How fortunate for all of us to have Serpell as [Morrison's] reader.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--New York \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Resplendent . . . fresh and smart . . . [a] work of swaggering genius.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Bookforum\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Decades in the making, \n\u003ci\u003eOn Morrison\u003c\/i\u003e is [Serpell's] breathtakingly comprehensive analysis of the Nobel laureate's oeuvre.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Book Page\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"[A] book that will serve lovers of Morrison for years to come.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--BookRiot\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eOn Morrison\u003c\/i\u003e brings the reader on new journeys through [Morrison's] famous fiction and her lesser-known plays and poetry. Serpell will make you want to read literature with fresh eyes and rediscover a love for reading.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Electric Literature\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A work of bracing, rigorous, and thrilling critical appraisal not just of Toni Morrison's evolution as a writer of fiction but of the richness and complexity of the black literary tradition . . . With \n\u003ci\u003eOn Morrison\u003c\/i\u003e, Serpell marshals both her fictive imagination and her critical acumen to bring forth knotted, uncompromising, and often surprising aspects of Morrison's work.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Defector\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"This is a book that rises to the challenge of extending and expanding a legacy by giving the person at the heart of that legacy time, rigor, and care.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Hanif Abdurraqib, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThere's Always This Year\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"In \n\u003ci\u003eOn Morrison, \u003c\/i\u003e Serpell applies her prodigious intellect, vast literary archive, and her own calling as a novelist to magnificent effect in this breathtaking, provocative, and refreshing engagement with Morrison as a thinker as well as an artist. Filled with unique analyses, deep dives, and an intellectual playfulness that Morrison herself so valued, this book will stand as one of the most important twenty-first-century works on the great American writer.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Imani Perry, author of \u003ci\u003eSouth to America\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Only Namwali Serpell could write a critical guide on Toni Morrison's novels that is as gripping as it is intellectually brilliant. While \n\u003ci\u003eOn Morrison \u003c\/i\u003eprovides a lucid and revelatory close read of all of her work, it's also a love letter to reading itself; to the virtues of difficulty; to Black literary inheritance; and to Morrison's uncompromising vision in always bringing the center to the margins. \n\u003ci\u003eOn Morrison \u003c\/i\u003eis a classic.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Cathy Park Hong, author of \u003ci\u003eMinor Feelings\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Dazzling . . . Serpell uses intellectual rigor alongside inventive flair to tackle Toni Morrison's writing in ways that feel both fresh and deeply expanding. This book is an illuminating guide to understanding how best to read, understand, and admire one of American literature's greatest voices.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Isaac Fitzgerald, \u003ci\u003eTODAY\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Graceful, exhilarating . . . Serpell deserves consideration for a major prize. Mostly she deserves our gratitude and admiration: \n\u003ci\u003eOn Morrison\u003c\/i\u003e gives us, in precise yet supple prose, a close reading in action and an exemplar of literary criticism. . . . This book will spur you to pour over the master's achievements.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eOn the Seawall\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eOn Morrison\u003c\/i\u003e is not simply a literary miracle; it is a cultural feat, a damn near perfect concoction made maybe once in a generation. It is what happens when a mind as curious as it is expansive explores the work of the greatest maker of novels in American history.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Kiese Laymon, author of \u003ci\u003eHeavy\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A thrilling, candid, and immersive study of one extraordinary mind by another . . . a necessary book and a brilliant achievement.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Preti Taneja, author of \u003ci\u003eWe That Are Young\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A celebration of genius that's not just approachable, but truly welcoming.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Maris Kreizman, \u003ci\u003eLiterary Hub\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"An impressive, nuanced work of scholarship.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"An insightful and stimulating exploration of the work of Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison. . . . Serpell puts Morrison's genius on full display. This will enthrall Morrison fans and cultivate new ones.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Illuminating and fascinating . . . [ \n\u003ci\u003eOn Morrison\u003c\/i\u003e] offers insight and fresh perspectives and will appeal to readers new to and deeply familiar with Morrison's vital body of work.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"A high-flying, fantastically erudite rendition of how Morrison wanted to be read, blending the scholarly and the personal response to her work with seamless flair and conviction.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Diana Evans, author of\u003ci\u003e A House for Alice\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBiographical Note\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eNamwali Serpell\u003c\/b\u003e was born in Lusaka and lives in New York. Her debut novel, \n\u003ci\u003eThe Old Drift, \u003c\/i\u003ewon an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Science Fiction, and the \n\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e's Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction. Her second novel, \n\u003ci\u003eThe Furrows, \u003c\/i\u003e was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and was selected as one of \n\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times \u003c\/i\u003eTen Best Books of the Year. Her book of essays, \n\u003ci\u003eStranger Faces, \u003c\/i\u003e was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism. She is a recipient of the Windham-Campbell Prize for Fiction, the Caine Prize for African Writing, and a Rona Jaffe Foundation Award. She is a professor of English at Harvard University.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eNAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR SO FAR BY \u003ci\u003eTHE NEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTHE NEW YORKER, VULTURE, ESQUIRE, THE GUARDIAN, \u003c\/i\u003eAND \u003ci\u003eLIT HUB\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eNATIONAL BESTSELLER\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eAn illuminating, electrifying exploration of the work of Toni Morrison by an award-winning novelist and Harvard professor--\"a revelatory encounter with the Nobel laureate's oeuvre\" (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review, \u003c\/i\u003e Editors' Choice)\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\"A landmark appraisal of the great novelist's work . . . I have waited years for this book.\"--Laila Lalami, \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\"Thrilling . . . ingenious.\"--Wesley Morris, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\"In this lavish yet clear-eyed study, Serpell shows how Morrison breathed new life into the novel. This is literary criticism at its finest.\"--\u003ci\u003eTime\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\"Revelatory . . . will captivate everyone from newcomers to [Morrison's] most devoted fans.\"\u003ci\u003e--Vulture\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\"Invigorating . . . an informed, accessible literary analysis.\"\u003ci\u003e--The Wall Street Journal \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Resplendent . . . fresh and smart . . . [a] work of swaggering genius.\"\u003ci\u003e--Bookforum\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\"As gripping as it is intellectually brilliant . . . a classic.\"--Cathy Park Hong\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003eToni Morrison, Nobel Laureate and one of our most beloved writers, has inspired generations of readers. But her artistic genius is often overshadowed by her monumental public persona, perhaps because, as Namwali Serpell puts it, \"she is our only truly canonical black female writer--and her work is highly complex.\" In \n\u003ci\u003eOn Morrison, \u003c\/i\u003e Serpell brings her unique experience as both an award-winning writer and a professor who teaches a course on Morrison to illuminate her masterful experiments with literary form. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis is Morrison as you've never encountered her before, a journey through her oeuvre--her fiction and criticism, as well as her lesser-known dramatic works and poetry--with contextual guidance and original close readings. At once accessible and uncompromisingly rigorous, \n\u003ci\u003eOn Morrison\u003c\/i\u003e is a primer not only on how to read one of the most significant American authors of all time but also on how to read great works of literature in general. This dialogue on the page between two black women artist-readers is stylish, edifying, and thrilling in its scope and intelligence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e 10\/15\/2025 (EAN 9780593732915, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/span\u003e 11\/10\/2025 (EAN 9780593732915, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eBooklist\u003c\/span\u003e 12\/01\/2025 (EAN 9780593732915, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"Hogarth Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496031944982,"sku":"9780593732915","price":38.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9780593732915.jpg?v=1783051157","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/on-morrison","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}