Son's Return Pbk

In January 1989, poet, folklorist and literary critic Sterling A. Brown died, leaving behind him a legacy of criticism for which modern commentators on African American culture should remain eternally grateful. Versatility perhaps best describes this collection of lectures, essays and reviews assembled here. Wisely, Sanders has selected from Brown's prodigious output those pieces most representative of his work on literature, history, folklore and music. Yet, despite the noble attempt to showcase Brown's immense learning, the collection also underscores Brown's weaknesses as a critic. For example, in essays like ""Negro Character as Seen by White Authors"" and ""The New Negro in Literature,"" one can't help noticing how quickly analytical depth is sacrificed to the bibliographical fervor to discuss as many works as possible in a single essay. Moreover, Sanders stumbles badly in opening the collection with the unedited transcript of a disorganized, repetitive lecture delivered by Brown at Williams College, aptly subtitled ""Oh, Didn't He Ramble."" And finally, there is the question of fact-checking, as Sanders lets pass without editorial intervention Brown's mistaken attribution (through no fault of his own) of the famous antebellum pro-slavery book review ""Slavery in the United States"" to Edgar Allan Poe which has since come to be regarded by scholars as the work of Beverly Tucker. These are real problems, but they don't invalidate this collection as a valuable resource for those who would understand what black studies looked like before its post-1960s institutionalization. (Nov.)