The Known World (Collins Modern Classics)

The masterful, Pulitzer Prize-winning literary epic about the painful and complex realities of slave life on a Southern plantation. An utterly original exploration of race, trust and the cruel truths of human nature, this is a landmark in modern American literature.

Henry Townsend, previously enslaved and now a farmer and bootmaker, is one of the few Black masters in the South. Mentored by William Robbins, one of the most powerful men in Manchester County, Virginia, Townsend has built his plantation with ambition and discipline, while grappling with his place in a society defined by racial oppression.

When Townsend dies unexpectedly, the established order falls into disarray. As disruption reverberates throughout the community, a series of events uncovers an intricate web of relationships, power imbalances and betrayals.

About the Author

Edward P. Jones won the PEN/Hemingway Award and was nominated for the National Book Award for his debut collection of stories, Lost in the City and received the Pulitzer Prize for The Known World. He lives in Virginia, USA.

Reviews

"A very moving epic" —Andrea Levy, author of Small Island

"Majestic … [its] cumulative effect devastates" —Daily Telegraph

"A moral epic, skilfully and sensitively constructed" —Sunday Times

"A powerful experience … rich in character and plot" —Guardian

"Jones immerses us in a world of slaves and slave owners with unerring mastery" —Geoff Dyer, Telegraph Books of the Year

"The Known World is an achievement of epic scope and architectural construction, which nonetheless reads like a string of folk tales told by someone slyly watching for your reaction – tales told by a conjurer who distracts you so well that you never know what hit you" —New York Times

Dimensions: 12.9 x 3 x 19.8 cm