Harlem Renaissance figure Nugent, who died in 1987, was a member of the self-proclaimed Niggerati that included Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston and others. His never before published roman clef, written between 1928 and 1933, is a mess of a novel that's still a useful first-hand account of Jazz Age identity politics.
Contents
Book 1. Washington to Harlem: Washington, D.C. -- Salt Lake City -- Harlem -- Currents -- A job -- Father -- Niggeratti Castle -- Rent party -- Toothache -- Rape -- Picnic -- Letter to Bob -- Holy Ghost -- Dispersal. Book 2. Greenwich Village to Chicago: Greenwich Village -- Orini -- Chicago -- Stuartt's Exhibition -- Orini II -- The morning after -- Letter to Bum -- Tony -- Gotham finale.
