Leon Forrest
Leon Richard Forrest (January 8, 1937 – November 6, 1997) was an
Biography
Forrest was born into a middle-class family in Chicago. His mother was
Forrest attended Wendell Phillips grade school and
His first novel, There is a Tree More Ancient than Eden, was published in 1973 and included an introduction from Ralph Ellison. Nobel Prize Laureate Toni Morrison served as Forrest's editor for There is a Tree More Ancient than Eden, and his next two novels, The Bloodworth Orphans and Two Wings to Veil My Face.[5] These three novels were known as the Forest County Trilogy.[6] He cited Charlie Parker, Dylan Thomas, William Faulkner, Eugene O'Neill, Ralph Ellison, and his parents' religions as inspirations.
Forrest joined the creative writing and literature staff of
Forrest died of cancer in Evanston, Illinois at age 60.[6] Meteor in the Madhouse, a series of connected novellas, was published posthumously in 2001, with his widow Marianne Forrest serving as literary executor. The Washington Post review said Meteor in the Madhouse will be "regarded as a major event" and a "significant landmark."[10]
In 2013, Forrest was inducted into the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame.[11]
References and further reading
- Eig, Jonathan (15 April 2011), "Bound for Glory", Chicago Magazine
- Williams, Dana A., ed. (2007). Conversations with Leon Forrest. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781578069897. Interviews with Forrest on his work.
- Williams, Dana A. (2005). "In the Light of Likeness--Transformed": The Literary Art of Leon Forrest. Columbus: Ohio State University Press. ISBN 0814209947.
Major fiction
- There Is a Tree More Ancient than Eden (Random House, 1973; expanded edition, 1988))
- The Bloodworth Orphans (Random House, 1977)
- Two Wings to Veil My Face (Asphodel, 1984)
- Divine Days (Another Chicago Press, 1992)
- Relocations of the Spirit: Collected Essays (Asphodel, 1994)
- Meteor in the Madhouse (Northwestern University, 2001)
References
- ^ Miller (2001).
- OCLC 85814093.
- ^ Cawelti, John G. Leon Forrest: Introductions and Interpretations. Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1997, p. 3.
- ^ Cawelti, John G. Leon Forrest: Introductions and Interpretations, 1997, pp. 4–5.
- ^ Cawelti, John G. Leon Forrest: Introductions and Interpretations, 1997, p. 4.
- ^ a b c Onishi, Norimitsu. "Leon Forrest, 60, a Novelist Who Explored Black History", The New York Times, November 10, 1997.
- ^ Northwestern University
- ^ Byerman, Keith. "Angularity: An Interview with Leon Forrest - Interview". African-American Review, Fall 1999.
- ^ Undercover Black Man
- ^ Miller, James A. (5 August 2001), "The Talking Cure", The Washington Post
- ^ "Leon Forrest". Chicago Literary Hall of Fame. 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
External links
- Leon Forrest Papers, Northwestern University Archives, Evanston, Illinois
- Guide to the Leon Forrest (1937-1997) Papers 1952/1998 UNCAP (Uncovering Chicago Archives Project) guide to the Northwestern Leon Forrest archive.
- Encyclopædia Britannica's Guide to Black History
- Interview with Leon Forrest (fairly extensive)