Leon Forrest: Difference between revisions
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Forrest attended Wendell Phillips grade school and [[Hyde Park High School]].<ref>Cawelti, John G. ''Leon Forrest: Introductions and Interpretations''. Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1997, p. 3</ref> He then attended Wilson Junior College for a year, and then took classes at [[Roosevelt University]] and the [[University of Chicago]] before dropping out, leaving to serve as a Public Information Officer in the military.<ref>Cawelti, John G. ''Leon Forrest: Introductions and Interpretations''. Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1997, p. 4-5</ref> After leaving the service, he returned to the University of Chicago and worked for the Catholic Interracial Council's Speakers Bureau. In 1969, he began working for ''[[Muhammad Speaks]]'', a [[Nation of Islam]] newspaper. Forrest would become the last non-Muslim editor of the paper. |
Forrest attended Wendell Phillips grade school and [[Hyde Park High School]].<ref>Cawelti, John G. ''Leon Forrest: Introductions and Interpretations''. Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1997, p. 3</ref> He then attended Wilson Junior College for a year, and then took classes at [[Roosevelt University]] and the [[University of Chicago]] before dropping out, leaving to serve as a Public Information Officer in the military.<ref>Cawelti, John G. ''Leon Forrest: Introductions and Interpretations''. Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1997, p. 4-5</ref> After leaving the service, he returned to the University of Chicago and worked for the Catholic Interracial Council's Speakers Bureau. In 1969, he began working for ''[[Muhammad Speaks]]'', a [[Nation of Islam]] newspaper. Forrest would become the last non-Muslim editor of the paper. |
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His first novel, ''There is a Tree More Ancient than Eden'', came out in 1973, and included an introduction from [[Ralph Ellison]]. Nobel Prize Laureate [[Toni Morrison]] served as publisher's editor for ''There is a Tree More Ancient than Eden'', ''The Bloodworth Orphans'', and ''Two Wings to Veil My Face''<ref>Cawelti, John G. ''Leon Forrest: Introductions and Interpretations''. Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1997, p. 4</ref>. He cited [[Charlie Parker]], [[Dylan Thomas]], [[William Faulkner]], [[Eugene O'Neill]], [[Ralph Ellison]], and his parents' religions as inspiration.<ref> |
His first novel, ''There is a Tree More Ancient than Eden'', came out in 1973, and included an introduction from [[Ralph Ellison]]. Nobel Prize Laureate [[Toni Morrison]] served as publisher's editor for ''There is a Tree More Ancient than Eden'', and his next two novels ''The Bloodworth Orphans'', and ''Two Wings to Veil My Face''<ref>Cawelti, John G. ''Leon Forrest: Introductions and Interpretations''. Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1997, p. 4</ref>. These three novels were known as the Forest County Trilogy.<ref>Onishi, Norimitsu. [http://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/10/nyregion/leon-forrest-60-a-novelist-who-explored-black-history.html?scp=1&sq=%22leon+forrest%22&st=nyt Leon Forrest, 60, a Novelist Who Explored Black History], ''The New York Times'', November 10, 1997.</ref> He cited [[Charlie Parker]], [[Dylan Thomas]], [[William Faulkner]], [[Eugene O'Neill]], [[Ralph Ellison]], and his parents' religions as inspiration.<ref> |
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From 1985 to 1994, he headed the African American Studies department at [[Northwestern University]]. http://findingaids.library.northwestern.edu/fedora/get/inu:inu-ead-nua-11-3-1-3/inu:EADbDef11/getBiographicalHistory Northwestern University]</ref> His last novel, ''Divine Days'', was modeled on [[Ulysses]] by [[James Joyce]].<ref>Byerman, Keith. ''Angularity: An Interview with Leon Forrest - Interview''. ''African-American Review'', Fall 1999.</ref> A novel over 1,100 pages long, ''Divine Days'' was called "the [[War and Peace]] of [[African-American]] literature" by noted scholar and Harvard professor [[Henry Louis Gates]].<ref>[http://undercoverblackman.blogspot.com/2007/01/remembering-leon-forrest-pt-1.html Undercover Black Man]</ref> |
He joined the creative writing and literature staff of Northwestern University in 1973.<ref>Onishi, Norimitsu. [http://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/10/nyregion/leon-forrest-60-a-novelist-who-explored-black-history.html?scp=1&sq=%22leon+forrest%22&st=nyt Leon Forrest, 60, a Novelist Who Explored Black History], ''The New York Times'', November 10, 1997.</ref> From 1985 to 1994, he headed the African American Studies department at [[Northwestern University]]. http://findingaids.library.northwestern.edu/fedora/get/inu:inu-ead-nua-11-3-1-3/inu:EADbDef11/getBiographicalHistory Northwestern University]</ref> His last novel, ''Divine Days'', was modeled on [[Ulysses]] by [[James Joyce]].<ref>Byerman, Keith. ''Angularity: An Interview with Leon Forrest - Interview''. ''African-American Review'', Fall 1999.</ref> A novel over 1,100 pages long, ''Divine Days'' was called "the [[War and Peace]] of [[African-American]] literature" by noted scholar and Harvard professor [[Henry Louis Gates]].<ref>[http://undercoverblackman.blogspot.com/2007/01/remembering-leon-forrest-pt-1.html Undercover Black Man]</ref> |
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He died of cancer in [[Evanston, Illinois]]. ''Meteor in the Madhouse'', a series of connected novellas was published [[posthumously]] in 2001, his widow |
He died of cancer in [[Evanston, Illinois]] at age 60<ref>Onishi, Norimitsu. [http://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/10/nyregion/leon-forrest-60-a-novelist-who-explored-black-history.html?scp=1&sq=%22leon+forrest%22&st=nyt Leon Forrest, 60, a Novelist Who Explored Black History], ''The New York Times'', November 10, 1997.</ref>. ''Meteor in the Madhouse'', a series of connected novellas was published [[posthumously]] in 2001, his widow Marianne Forrest serving as literary executor. |
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==Bibiliography== |
==Bibiliography== |
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*''The Bloodworth Orphans'' (Random House, 1977) |
*''The Bloodworth Orphans'' (Random House, 1977) |
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*''Two Wings to Veil My Face'' (Asphodel, 1984) |
*''Two Wings to Veil My Face'' (Asphodel, 1984) |
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*''Relocations of the Spirit'' (Asphodel, 1994) |
*''Relocations of the Spirit: Collected Essays'' (Asphodel, 1994) |
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*''Divine Days'' (Another Chicago Press, 1992) |
*''Divine Days'' (Another Chicago Press, 1992) |
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*''Meteor in the Madhouse'' (Northwestern University, 2001) |
*''Meteor in the Madhouse'' (Northwestern University, 2001) |
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Revision as of 02:08, 4 November 2010
Leon Richard Forrest (January 8, 1937 – November 6, 1997) was an African American novelist. His novels concerned mythology, history, and Chicago.
Forrest was born into a middle-class family in Chicago. His mother was Catholic and from New Orleans, while his father's family was Baptist. His paternal great-grandmother had a role in his early upbringing. Forrest later attended a racially integrated high school after winning an award, but he was a generally mediocre student except for writing. His parents divorced in 1956; his mother remarried, and the couple opened a liquor store.
Forrest attended Wendell Phillips grade school and Hyde Park High School.[1] He then attended Wilson Junior College for a year, and then took classes at Roosevelt University and the University of Chicago before dropping out, leaving to serve as a Public Information Officer in the military.[2] After leaving the service, he returned to the University of Chicago and worked for the Catholic Interracial Council's Speakers Bureau. In 1969, he began working for Muhammad Speaks, a Nation of Islam newspaper. Forrest would become the last non-Muslim editor of the paper.
His first novel, There is a Tree More Ancient than Eden, came out in 1973, and included an introduction from Ralph Ellison. Nobel Prize Laureate Toni Morrison served as publisher's editor for There is a Tree More Ancient than Eden, and his next two novels The Bloodworth Orphans, and Two Wings to Veil My Face[3]. These three novels were known as the Forest County Trilogy.[4] He cited Charlie Parker, Dylan Thomas, William Faulkner, Eugene O'Neill, Ralph Ellison, and his parents' religions as inspiration.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). From 1985 to 1994, he headed the African American Studies department at Northwestern University. http://findingaids.library.northwestern.edu/fedora/get/inu:inu-ead-nua-11-3-1-3/inu:EADbDef11/getBiographicalHistory Northwestern University]</ref> His last novel, Divine Days, was modeled on Ulysses by James Joyce.[5] A novel over 1,100 pages long, Divine Days was called "the War and Peace of African-American literature" by noted scholar and Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates.[6]
He died of cancer in Evanston, Illinois at age 60[7]. Meteor in the Madhouse, a series of connected novellas was published posthumously in 2001, his widow Marianne Forrest serving as literary executor.
Bibiliography
- There is a Tree More Ancient than Eden (Random House, 1973)
- The Bloodworth Orphans (Random House, 1977)
- Two Wings to Veil My Face (Asphodel, 1984)
- Relocations of the Spirit: Collected Essays (Asphodel, 1994)
- Divine Days (Another Chicago Press, 1992)
- Meteor in the Madhouse (Northwestern University, 2001)
References
- ^ Cawelti, John G. Leon Forrest: Introductions and Interpretations. Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1997, p. 3
- ^ Cawelti, John G. Leon Forrest: Introductions and Interpretations. Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1997, p. 4-5
- ^ Cawelti, John G. Leon Forrest: Introductions and Interpretations. Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1997, p. 4
- ^ Onishi, Norimitsu. Leon Forrest, 60, a Novelist Who Explored Black History, The New York Times, November 10, 1997.
- ^ Byerman, Keith. Angularity: An Interview with Leon Forrest - Interview. African-American Review, Fall 1999.
- ^ Undercover Black Man
- ^ Onishi, Norimitsu. Leon Forrest, 60, a Novelist Who Explored Black History, The New York Times, November 10, 1997.