John Edgar Wideman’s literary output to date – including ten novels, four memoirs, five collections of short fiction and a collection of interviews, together with a slew of scholarly essays, journalism and criticism – offers a rejoinder to the more traditional elements of the African American literary tradition since the 1960s by embracing a sense of formal experimentation and intellectual rigour while resuscitating a belief in the ability of art to engage directly with contemporary black communities. In this respect, Wideman’s writing is partly influenced by the radical ideals of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, which advocated the creation of a literature that would speak directly to the needs, values and creativity of the black community. Wideman’s thematic concerns…
2464 words
Citation: Boyle, Elizabeth. "John Edgar Wideman". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 November 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4708, accessed 21 November 2024.]
