Overview

An 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” (The New York Times) “In this lavish yet clear-eyed study, Serpell shows how Morrison breathed new life into the novel. This is literary criticism at its finest.”—Time “As gripping as it is intellectually brilliant . . . a classic.”—Cathy Park Hong “Serpell puts Morrison’s genius on full display. This will enthrall Morrison fans.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “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.”—Imani Perry, author of South to America ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, Time, The Today Show, Los Angeles Times, Harper's Bazaar, Ms., Esquire, Vulture, The Millions, Well-Read Black Girl, Electric Lit, Kirkus Reviews, Literary Hub, Book Riot Toni 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 On Morrison, 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. This 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, On Morrison 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.

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Reviews

“Immense gratitude for this book, and for Namwali Serpell’s close looking, which has led to these stunning reconsiderations of Morrison, which are incisive, tender, and also honest and unsparing . . . 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.”—Hanif Abdurraqib, New York Times bestselling author of There’s Always This Year “In On Morrison, 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.”—Imani Perry, author of South to America, winner of the National Book Award

“Immense gratitude for this book, and for Namwali Serpell’s close looking, which has led to these stunning reconsiderations of Morrison, which are incisive, tender, and also honest and unsparing . . . 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.”—Hanif Abdurraqib, New York Times bestselling author of There’s Always This Year

“[A] lavish yet clear-eyed study . . . literary criticism at its finest.”—TIME “If you’re looking for a primer on Toni Morrison, you’re in capable hands with Serpell, who normally reserves such scholarship for her students at Harvard. In this survey, she walks readers through Morrison’s robust oeuvre, from the fiction that made her famous to her less well-known criticism, plays, and poetry.”—The New York Times “I can’t think of a better reader to conduct this study of Toni Morrison . . . Serpell’s inquiry weighs the consuming mythos around Morrison against the real woman’s complex and thorny output.”—Literary Hub “Revelatory . . . will captivate everyone from newcomers to [Morrison’s] most devoted fans.”—Vulture “On Morrison 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.”—Electric Literature “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.”—Hanif Abdurraqib, New York Times bestselling author of There’s Always This Year “In On Morrison, 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.”—Imani Perry, author of South to America, winner of the National Book Award “Only Namwali Serpell could write a critical guide on Toni Morrison’s novels that is as gripping as it is intellectually brilliant. While On Morrison provides 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. On Morrison is a classic.”—Cathy Park Hong, author of Minor Feelings “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.”—Isaac Fitzgerald, TODAY “Graceful, exhilarating . . . Serpell deserves consideration for a major prize. Mostly she deserves our gratitude and admiration: On Morrison 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.”—On the Seawall “On Morrison 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.”—Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy “A thrilling, candid, and immersive study of one extraordinary mind by another . . . a necessary book and a brilliant achievement.”—Preti Taneja, author of We That Are Young “An impressive, nuanced work of scholarship.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review “An insightful and stimulating exploration of the work of Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison. . . . This will enthrall Morrison fans and cultivate new ones.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review “Illuminating and fascinating . . . [On Morrison] offers insight and fresh perspectives and will appeal to readers new to and deeply familiar with Morrison’s vital body of work.”—Booklist, starred review “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.”—Diana Evans, author of A House for Alice “Decades in the making, On Morrison is [Serpell’s] breathtakingly comprehensive analysis of the Nobel laureate’s oeuvre.”—Book Page

“Immense gratitude for this book, and for Namwali Serpell’s close looking, which has led to these stunning reconsiderations of Morrison, which are incisive, tender, and also honest and unsparing . . . 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.”—Hanif Abdurraqib, New York Times bestselling author of There’s Always This Year “In On Morrison, 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.”—Imani Perry, author of South to America, winner of the National Book Award “Only Namwali Serpell could write a critical guide on Toni Morrison’s novels that is as gripping as it is intellectually brilliant. While On Morrison provides 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. Serpell has alchemized her scholarly erudition with her novelistʼs eyes and ears for pacing and detail. On Morrison is a classic.”—Cathy Park Hong, author of Minor Feelings “On Morrison 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. Namwali Serpell’s staggering brilliance sifts and sits in this book of criticism, this book of artful expansion. There is nothing like it, nothing like Serpell’s imaginative know-how, and we should be thankful to share the earth with this art object.”—Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy “In On Morrison, Namwali Serpell offers a thrilling, candid, and immersive study of one extraordinary mind by another, and a critical reappraisal of a body of work that readers of Morrison will find enlightening for years to come. This is a necessary book and a brilliant achievement.”—Preti Taneja, author of We That Are Young “An insightful and stimulating exploration of the work of Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison. Through exceptional close readings and sharp analyses, Serpell puts Morrison’s genius on full display. This will enthrall Morrison fans and cultivate new ones.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“[A] lavish yet clear-eyed study . . . literary criticism at its finest.”—TIME “If you’re looking for a primer on Toni Morrison, you’re in capable hands with Serpell, who normally reserves such scholarship for her students at Harvard. In this survey, she walks readers through Morrison’s robust oeuvre, from the fiction that made her famous to her less well-known criticism, plays, and poetry.”—The New York Times “I can’t think of a better reader to conduct this study of Toni Morrison . . . Serpell’s inquiry weighs the consuming mythos around Morrison against the real woman’s complex and thorny output.”—Literary Hub “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.”—Hanif Abdurraqib, New York Times bestselling author of There’s Always This Year “In On Morrison, 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.”—Imani Perry, author of South to America, winner of the National Book Award “Only Namwali Serpell could write a critical guide on Toni Morrison’s novels that is as gripping as it is intellectually brilliant. While On Morrison provides 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. On Morrison is a classic.”—Cathy Park Hong, author of Minor Feelings “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.”—Isaac Fitzgerald, TODAY “Graceful, exhilarating . . . Serpell deserves consideration for a major prize. Mostly she deserves our gratitude and admiration: On Morrison 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.”—On the Seawall “On Morrison 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.”—Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy “A thrilling, candid, and immersive study of one extraordinary mind by another . . . a necessary book and a brilliant achievement.”—Preti Taneja, author of We That Are Young “An impressive, nuanced work of scholarship.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review “An insightful and stimulating exploration of the work of Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison. . . . This will enthrall Morrison fans and cultivate new ones.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review “Illuminating and fascinating . . . [On Morrison] offers insight and fresh perspectives and will appeal to readers new to and deeply familiar with Morrison’s vital body of work.”—Booklist, starred review “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.”—Diana Evans, author of A House for Alice

Author Information

Namwali Serpell was born in Lusaka and lives in New York. Her debut novel, The Old Drift, won an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Science Fiction, and the Los Angeles Times’s Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction. Her second novel, The Furrows, was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and was selected as one of The New York Times Ten Best Books of the Year. Her book of essays, Stranger Faces, 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.

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