Manchild in the Promised Land
Encyclopedia
Manchild in the Promised Land (1965
) is an autobiographical
novel
written by Claude Brown
. It tells about the author's coming of age amidst poverty and violence in Harlem
during the 1940s and 1950s. Published at the height of the civil rights movement
, the book reached far beyond the traditional literary world, drawing new attention to the lives of those living in urban environments. It has sold more than 4 million copies and has been translated into 14 languages.
The book has frequently appeared on banned book lists for offensive language, and violence. The book is also celebrated by critics for its sense of realism.
1965 in literature
The year 1965 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Lloyd Alexander - The Black Cauldron*J. G. Ballard - The Drought*Ray Bradbury - The Vintage Bradbury*John Brunner...
) is an autobiographical
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
written by Claude Brown
Claude Brown
Claude Brown is the author ofManchild in the Promised Land, published to critical acclaim in 1965, which tells the story of his coming of age during the 1940s and 1950s in Harlem...
. It tells about the author's coming of age amidst poverty and violence in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
during the 1940s and 1950s. Published at the height of the civil rights movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
, the book reached far beyond the traditional literary world, drawing new attention to the lives of those living in urban environments. It has sold more than 4 million copies and has been translated into 14 languages.
The book has frequently appeared on banned book lists for offensive language, and violence. The book is also celebrated by critics for its sense of realism.