There is a Tree More Ancient Than Eden

By Leon Forrest

Leon Forrest, acclaimed author of Divine Days, uses a remarkable verbal intensity to evoke human tragedy, injustice, and spirituality in his writing. As Toni Morrison has said, All of Forrest's novels explore the complex legacy of Afro-Americans. Like an insistent tide this history . . . swells and recalls America's past. . . . Brooding, hilarious, acerbic and profoundly valued life has no more astute observer than Leon Forrest. All of that is on display here in two novels that give readers a breathtaking view of the human experience, filled with humor and pathos.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226257215
• ISBN13: 9780226257211
• Release Date: November 2001
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.6" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

As fine a book as you'll find

For several years this book was lost, and then it had a resurgence as it was reprinted in 1998. Now it seems to have faded once again, which is understandable. It's dense and difficult to read and Leon Forrest never had a critic to champion his cause the way Ishmael Reed had Henry Louis Gates. That said, let's keep it our little secret. People don't write books like this anymore, which is the loss of readers everywhere. First published in 1973, the book has the slimmest of plots but its imagery and emotional intensity hold it together. It's postmodern and human at the same time. It's a book that defies easy description, and its best summary is the book itself.