Zora Neale Hurston

The Life of Herod the Great (eBook, ePUB)

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

'The Life of Herod The Great - like Hurston herself - is a masterpiece, a miracle, and a marvel. In other words, treasure for the whole world' Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage

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In the 1950s Zora Neale Hurston penned a historical novel reconsidering the life of one of the most well-known biblical figures, Herod the Great. That novel was never published in Hurston's lifetime. Now for the first time, it is brought to glorious life with commentary from scholar Deborah G. Plant.

Far from his villainous portrayal in the New Testament, Hurston casts Herod as a forerunner of Christ, a beloved king who enriched Jewish culture and brought prosperity and peace to Judea. An intimate of both Marc Antony and Julius Caesar, the Judean king lived in a time of war and imperial expansion that was rife with political assassinations and bribery, as the old world gave way to the new.

By bringing this complex, compelling and oft misunderstood leader into shining focus, The Life of Herod the Great invites the reader to reassess history and the world as they know it. What was in Herod's time is and will be again. Zora Neale Hurston's never-before-published novel is a lantern of understanding that might be held up to the present or the future, and nothing short of a masterpiece.

A never-before-published novel from beloved author Zora Neale Hurston, revealing the historical Herod the Great - not the demon the Bible makes him out to be but a religious and philosophical man who lived a life of adventure.

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Praise for Zora Neale Hurston:

'Zora Neale was a knockout in her life' MAYA ANGELOU

'Their Eyes Were Watching God is one of the very greatest American novels of the 20th century. It is so lyrical it should be sentimental; it is so passionate it should be overwrought, but it is instead a rigorous, convincing and dazzling piece of prose, as emotionally satisfying as it is impressive. There is no novel I love more' ZADIE SMITH

'To the last page that fills the soul with tears, Hurston's novel delivers. To me, it is also a welcome reminder that books are democratic, subversive and life-changing' THE TIMES

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: HarperCollins Publishers
• Seitenzahl: 288
• Erscheinungstermin: 7. Januar 2025
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9780008732769
• Artikelnr.: 72254076

Autorenporträt

Zora Neale Hurston was a novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist. She finished four novels (Jonah's Gourd Vine, 1934; Their Eyes Were Watching God, 1937; Moses, Man of the Mountains, 1939; and Seraph on the Suwanee, 1948) as well as The Life of Herod the Great, which she was still writing when she died; two books of folklore (Mules and Men, 1935, and Every Tongue Got to Confess, 2001); a work of anthropological research, (Tell My Horse, 1938); an autobiography (Dust Tracks on a Road, 1942); an international bestselling nonfiction work (Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo," 2018); and over fifty short stories, essays, and plays. She attended Howard University, Barnard College, and Columbia University and was a graduate of Barnard College in 1928. She was born on January 7, 1891, in Notasulga, Alabama, and grew up in Eatonville, Florida.

Rezensionen

"Full of adventure, glamour, and historical figures, including Herod's close friends Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, this is a fascinating addition to the Hurston canon." - Booklist (starred review)

"Showcases both [Zora Neale Hurston's] training in cultural anthropology and her storytelling brilliance. ... A valuable edition to Hurston's canon that will appeal both to her fans and to new readers of her work." - Library Journal

"In the 1950s, Zora Neale Hurston spent many years writing a historical novel about the biblical King Herod as follow-up to her 1939 book, Moses, Man of the Mountain. When Hurston died in 1960, the manuscript remained unpublished and was almost destroyed in a fire. But Plant, a Hurston scholar, painstakingly combed through the surviving singed and smoke-stained pages to bring The Life of Herod the Great to readers for the first time. The result is a stunning and layered work of imagination and scholarship." - Esquire

"If you're looking to delve into a different perspective of this historical figure while revisiting the writing of Hurston, this book should definitely be on your TBR list." - Essence

"It's narrated by two extraordinary performers, Blair Underwood and Robin Miles. It makes for a bracing, enlivening audio experience, as Hurston lays out the case for the defense of Herod-arguing that his portrayal throughout history has played fast and loose with the evidence and overlooked his record as a benevolent leader. Underwood and Miles read with great gusto and conviction, mirroring Hurston's ability to weave folklore and mythology into story, and to animate figures both familiar to us and utterly unknown." - Financial Times

"Plant, who offers commentary throughout, has done a valiant job ... [Hurston's] belief in the work is apparent and, frankly, breathtaking." - Washington Post

"Hurston's novel is the saga of a man on a hero's journey within a rich cultural landscape full of passion, deceit, and political turmoil. Filled with noble purpose and eloquent in speech, Herod's story unfolds in grand style. ... A larger-than-life narrative that feels like a sweeping 1950s Hollywood epic. ... Hurston brings Herod's life to light with an emphasis on the precarious world in which he lived. Beloved king, notorious villain, handsomest of all men? The Life of Herod the Great presents Hurston's own strongly researched analysis in dramatic detail." - Historical Novel Society

"Herod is an important piece, and the newly published edition (as well as the excellent scholarly commentary by editor Dr. Deborah Plant) is an invaluable artifact for Hurston specialists and historians of American literature. ... What we have in these pages is a monument to Hurston's passionate, piercing intellect, fired by curiosity and persistence. It is invaluable to Hurston scholars, offering a glimpse into her creative process, her abiding academic and artistic passions, her unflagging drive to keep creating art and scholarship." - Chicago Review of Books

"A never-before-published novel from the arguable literary doyenne of the Harlem Renaissance-and inarguable queen of the first line. ... [Hurston] nearly completed this detailed, revolutionary rethinking of Herod, presenting a man usually seen as one of the bloodiest villains in the Bible as a charismatic ruler who led his people toward peace and prosperity. To complete the unfinished manuscript-nearly destroyed and partly burned in a fire-editor Deborah Plant includes excerpts from the author's letters and an insightful commentary." - Oprah Daily

"There is much here for any reader to enjoy, whether they are fans of Huston's fiction or eager for a deep dive into a subject rarely seen outside religious texts or histories." - BookPage

"The Life of Herod the Great-like Hurston herself-is a masterpiece, a miracle, and a marvel. In other words, treasure for the whole world." - Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage, Silver Sparrow, and Leaving Atlanta