Passing by Nella Larsen. New York. 1929. Knopf. 217 pages. hardcover.
DESCRIPTION - A landmark novel about the cultural meanings of race by the Harlem Renaissance’s premier woman writer. The beautiful, elegant, and ambitious Clare Kendry leads a dangerous life. A light-skinned African American married to a white man unaware of her racial heritage, Clare has severed all ties to her past to become part of white, middle-class society. Clare’s childhood friend, Irene Redfield, as light-skinned as Clare, has chosen to remain within the African-American community. Married to a successful doctor and the mother of two boys, Irene refuses to acknowledge the racism she grew up with and that continues to set limits on her family’s happiness. A chance encounter forces both women to confront the lies they have told others and the secret fears they have buried within themselves. First published in 1929, Passing is a remarkably candid exploration of the destabilization of racial and sexual boundaries.
Nellallitea 'Nella' Larsen, born Nellie Walker (April 13, 1891 – March 30, 1964), was an American novelist of the Harlem Renaissance. First working as a nurse and a librarian, she published two novels—Quicksand (1928) and Passing (1929)—and a few short stories. Though her literary output was scant, she earned recognition by her contemporaries. A revival of interest in her writing has occurred since the late twentieth century, when issues of racial and sexual identity and identification have been studied.
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