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Passing, Quicksand, and Other Stories
Passing, Quicksand, and Other Stories | Nella Larsen
6 posts | 5 read | 10 to read
Published in 1928, Nella Larsen's first novel "Quicksand" regards the story of Helga Crane, the lovely and refined mixed-race daughter of a Danish mother and a West Indian black father. The character is loosely based on Larsen's own experiences and deals with the character's struggle for racial and sexual identity, a theme common to Larsen's work. In Larsen's second novel, "Passing," published in 1929, the author revisits this struggle through the lives of two childhood friends, Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield, both of whom are of mixed African and European ancestry and are "passing" as whites. The novel picks up in the lives of the two as they later reunite in adulthood. An ambiguous relation develops between the two as they share a fascination for how each other's lives have transpired since they last knew each other. Larsen's work has been lauded for its exploration of race, gender, class, and sexuality amongst African Americans in early part of the 20th century. Now considered as a major figure of the Harlem Renaissance, Larsen's writing gives a firsthand insight into the struggle of African Americans during this era. Along with her two novels three of Larsen's short stories, "The Wrong Man," "Freedom," and "Sanctuary" are presented together here in this volume.
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review
DivineDiana
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Pickpick

This book was a combination of short stories and two novellas. Spare, beautiful writing that pulls you into the stories. Detailed description of clothing and settings. Endings with a punch. A member of the Harlem Renaissance, Nella Larsen was chosen for the New York Times project Overlooked. Obituaries were written posthumously of historic women who were overlooked. #booked2023 #ashortstorycollection #mttbr

55 likes2 comments
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DivineDiana
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Current read.

48 likes1 stack add
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Mitch
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Look what‘s just arrived! Thank you so so much @Soubhiville - it‘s a gorgeous edition - with lots of interesting essays too. Thank you 🙏

Mitch I sat down and wrote a letter to you this afternoon - must have been channelling the positive energy between us! 🤣🤣🤣 1y
Soubhiville I feel like this took forever to get to you! I like the idea of a cord of energy between us 😁. 1y
Soubhiville I have only read Passing by her, but I look forward to reading more because I thought Passing was so good. I hope you‘ll enjoy, happy late birthday. 💕 1y
Megabooks That‘s a beautiful edition! 1y
62 likes4 comments
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Tamra
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I really enjoyed Passing and this book has been on my TBR. I snagged it via Kindle deal!

Riveted_Reader_Melissa Good snag! I got it last year and really enjoyed them all. 5y
Graywacke Nice! I bought this recently on Kindle too. I was hoping to get to Passing sometime this year. 5y
Tamra @Graywacke it‘s very good! I hope you get to it. 5y
68 likes3 comments
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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
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Pickpick

These tales capture the disillusionment & feeling of never truly belonging to those stuck between two worlds & never feeling at home in either. Whether it‘s outright “Passing” or the constantly moving, trying vainly to find your place, while sinking further into the “Quicksand” of the race question, you can feel the soul crushing pressure of not belonging. As for the other shorts in the collection, they left me wanting & wishing for more.

Daisey I read and enjoyed both Passing and Quicksand earlier this year. Is the rest of this made up of shorter stories? Approximately how many? 5y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Daisey 3 other VERY very short stories, maybe a total of half an hour read, so about 10 minute stories. If it‘s still free on kindle, great, if not I probably wouldn‘t pay just for them. 5y
71 likes1 stack add2 comments
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nosferatoos
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School reading intensifies. Can you believe my favorite lit professor is teaching a class called Black Women of the Harlem Renaissance 😍 #studentlife #harlemrenaissance