Conversations With Chester Himes

by Himes, Chester B.; Skinner, Robert E.; Fabre, Michel

• ISBN13: 9780878058181
• ISBN10: 0878058184
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1995-11-01
• Publisher: Univ Pr of Mississippi

Summary

The late African-American novelist Chester Himes (1909-1984) is well known both in America and Europe for his moving depictions of black men destroyed by a pervasive racism and for darkly humorous stories of Harlem's underworld. His novels and stories are all the more striking because they are infused with his own varied experiences as a petty criminal, convict, writer, and expatriate. Himes was equally revealing in the many interviews he granted during his long and tumultuous career in America and France. Himes displays a remarkable candor in all his interviews. Although he never involved himself in any of the black political movements of his lifetime, he did not flinch from speaking his mind about racial politics in America. He was straightforward, as well, in speaking about his relationships with other black writers. As a contemporary of Richard Wright, James Baldwin, and Ralph Ellison, he could be brutally direct in his opinions of them and their work. He leavens such criticism by being equally frank about himself and his shortcomings. Compiled here for the first time and drawn from many sources, these interviews span Himes's career and present a bold picture of a proud, brilliant, and combative man who commands both attention and respect.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chronology
Conversation with Chester Himes	p. 1
Interview with Chester Himes	p. 5
Chester Himes Talks about Negroes and Harlem	p. 9
Chester Himes: An Interview	p. 12
The Man Who Goes Too Fast	p. 17
The Hard-Bitten Old Pro Who Wrote "Cotton" Cashes In	p. 23
Conversation with Chester Himes, the American Crime Writer	p. 26
My Man Himes: An Interview with Chester Himes	p. 29
Interview with Chester Himes	p. 83
Profile of Chester Himes	p. 95
A Kind of Uncle Tom	p. 103
Chester Himes	p. 105
Portrait of a Man Reading	p. 108
Don Chester Himes: Evening with an Exile	p. 112
Racism Impetus behind Author's Career	p. 116
Conversation with Chester Himes	p. 119
Chester Himes Direct	p. 125
Chester Himes's Crusade: An Interview	p. 143
Index	p. 147
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