On Morrison
Will be published approx. on 18. February 2027
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-1-5299-7386-0 (ISBN)
Description
'A landmark appraisal... deep and enriching' GUARDIAN
'An exhilarating meeting of critical minds' OBSERVER
'Serpell is a superlative essayist' DIANA EVANS
'Serpell brings her expertise and eye to Toni Morrion's singular literary genius' HARPER'S BAZAAR
The essential companion to Toni Morrison's work, written by Namwali Serpell, 'one of the most innovative and intelligent writers today' (Financial Times)
Toni Morrison, Nobel Laureate and most beloved of writers, has inspired generations of readers. But her artistic genius is often overshadowed by her monumental public persona, perhaps because, as Namwali Serpell puts it, 'she is our only truly canonical black, female writer - and her work is highly complex.' In On Morrison, Serpell brings her unique experience as both an award-winning writer and professor to illuminate Toni Morrison's masterful experiments with literary form.
This is Morrison as you've never encountered her before, a journey through her vivid fiction and criticism, as well as her lesser-known dramatic works and poetry - with contextual guidance and original close readings. Accessible and thrillingly rigorous, On Morrison is a primer not only on how to read one of the most significant American authors of our time, but how to approach any great work of literature. The conversation between the two black women artist-readers that rises from these pages is stylish, edifying and spectacular in its scope and erudition.
'[Serpell has] hopped on a rocket and touched the Tonisphere, with her mind... Serpell's excitement, her sense of discovery and dismay, become yours' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
'Breathtaking, provocative, and refreshing' IMANI PERRY
'An exhilarating meeting of critical minds' OBSERVER
'Serpell is a superlative essayist' DIANA EVANS
'Serpell brings her expertise and eye to Toni Morrion's singular literary genius' HARPER'S BAZAAR
The essential companion to Toni Morrison's work, written by Namwali Serpell, 'one of the most innovative and intelligent writers today' (Financial Times)
Toni Morrison, Nobel Laureate and most beloved of writers, has inspired generations of readers. But her artistic genius is often overshadowed by her monumental public persona, perhaps because, as Namwali Serpell puts it, 'she is our only truly canonical black, female writer - and her work is highly complex.' In On Morrison, Serpell brings her unique experience as both an award-winning writer and professor to illuminate Toni Morrison's masterful experiments with literary form.
This is Morrison as you've never encountered her before, a journey through her vivid fiction and criticism, as well as her lesser-known dramatic works and poetry - with contextual guidance and original close readings. Accessible and thrillingly rigorous, On Morrison is a primer not only on how to read one of the most significant American authors of our time, but how to approach any great work of literature. The conversation between the two black women artist-readers that rises from these pages is stylish, edifying and spectacular in its scope and erudition.
'[Serpell has] hopped on a rocket and touched the Tonisphere, with her mind... Serpell's excitement, her sense of discovery and dismay, become yours' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
'Breathtaking, provocative, and refreshing' IMANI PERRY
Reviews / Votes
Deep and enriching.... I have waited years for this book.... Serpell has managed to deliver a book that works on many levels: as a study of craft, as a critical appraisal, and as a tribute to an artist who was difficult in all the right ways -- Laila Lalami * Guardian * I did not expect reading this learned work of literary criticism to be some of the most fun I've had this year -- Sara Collins * Observer * [Serpell has] hopped on a rocket and touched the Tonisphere, with her mind... Serpell's excitement, her sense of discovery and dismay, become yours -- Wesley Morris * NYTBR * Serpell brings her expertise and eye to Toni Morrison's singular literary genius. Maybe you've memorised The Bluest Eye, Sula or Morrison's essays by heart, or you've decided to revisit an author you were first introduced to in school. Either way, this work will deepen your understanding of and appreciation for one of the greatest writers and editors of the 20th century * Harper's Bazaar * Serpell is a superlative essayist, and On Morrison a high-flying, fantastically erudite rendition of how Morrison wanted to be read, blending the scholarly and the personal response to her work with seamless flair and conviction -- DIANA EVANS, author of Ordinary People Informed, accessible literary analysis -- Sam Sax * Wall Street Journal * Serpell examines Toni Morrison's oeuvre with the rigor of an academic and the admiration of a fellow creative... refreshingly jargon-free and accessible to most readers of Morrison's novels and essays * Los Angeles Times * In On Morrison, Serpell applies her prodigious intellect, vast literary archive, and her own calling as a novelist to magnificent effect in this breathtaking, provocative, and refreshing engagement with Morrison as a thinker as well as an artist -- IMANI PERRY, author of South to America Her reading of Morrison is thick: layered with frameworks and a sophisticated ability to render critical inquiry legible -- Danielle Amir Jackson * Guardian * A thrilling, candid and immersive study... A necessary book, and a brilliant achievement -- PRETI TANEJA, author of We That Are YoungMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
249 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5299-7386-0 (9781529973860)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
02/2026
Vintage Digital
€14.99
Available for download
Person
Namwali Serpell was born in Lusaka and lives in New York. Her debut novel, The Old Drift, won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and the Los Angeles Times's Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction. Her second novel, The Furrows, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and selected as one of The New York Times's Ten Best Books of the Year. Her book of criticism, Stranger Faces, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. She is a professor of English at Harvard University.