A Rage in Harlem by Chester Himes
To be square in Harlem is to risk your life. And Jackson is so square that he can't see through the lovely Imabelle, even when she introduces him to a man who knows the secret of turning $10 notes into $100s. Jackson ends up losing his life savings to the con-man, stealing from his boss and blowing this 'borrowed' sum at the crap table. So begins Chester Himes' first foray into crime fiction, the novel that was to win him massive acclaim in France where it was published in 1958. It has since been translated into over a dozen languages as well as being turned into a major feature film. A Rage in Harlem also introduces readers to Coffin Ed Johnson and Gravedigger Jones, Harlem's toughest pair of cops and Himes' most memorable fictional creations. Renowned for their meanness and always armed with their legendary nickel-plated Colts, they patrol the streets of Harlem and attempt to keep some semblance of law and order.
[A Rage in Harlem] quickly achieved deserved cult statusThe writing is a sheer delight: hard and edgy but never far from a wisecrack, and the plot vibrates with con-men, hard-nosed cops and shysters dressed as nuns. * * Time Out * *
This tense puzzle is witty, angry and full of disturbing social insights. * * The Times * *
[This book] assuredly earns the appellation classic. . . Himes challenges his readers to confront violence with a brutal realism that loses none of its impact today. * * The Herald * *
This tense puzzle is witty, angry and full of disturbing social insights. * * The Times * *
[This book] assuredly earns the appellation classic. . . Himes challenges his readers to confront violence with a brutal realism that loses none of its impact today. * * The Herald * *
Chester Himes was born in Jefferson City, Missouri, in 1909. Expelled from Ohio State University (he was in the same class as Ralph Ellison), in 1928 Himes was sentenced to twenty years' imprisonment for armed robbery. His writing career began in jail and on release he had a number of controversial novels, including Lonely Crusade, published before he left America for good. It was in Paris that he began writing thrillers, which were extremely successful - his first, A Rage in Harlem, won the 1958 Grand Prix Policier and the subsequent Coffin Ed Johnson and Gravedigger Jones novels were big hits both in France and America. He died in Spain in 1984.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781841950242 |
| ISBN 10 | 1841950246 |
| Title | A Rage in Harlem |
| Author | Chester Himes |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Canongate Books |
| Year published | 2000-08-16 |
| Number of pages | 224 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |