Synopses & Reviews
For his humanistic religious verse, his poignant and deeply personal antislavery poems, and, above all, his lifelong enthusiasm for liberty, nature, and the art of poetry, George Moses Horton merits a place of distinction among nineteenth-century African American poets. Enslaved from birth until the close of the Civil War, the self-taught Horton was the first American slave to protest his bondage in published verse and the first black man to publish a book in the South. As a man and as a poet, his achievements were extraordinary.
In this volume, Joan Sherman collects sixty-two of Horton's poems. Her comprehensive introductioncombining biography, history, cultural commentary, and critical insightpresents a compelling and detailed picture of this remarkable man's life and art.
George Moses Horton (ca. 1797-1883) was born in Northampton County, North Carolina. A slave for sixty-eight years, Horton spent much of his life on a farm near Chapel Hill, and in time he fostered a deep connection with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The author of three books of poetry, Horton was inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame in May of 1996.
Review
The Black Bard of North Carolina [is] the best introduction to Horton's life and work available.
William L. Andrews, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Review
Sherman's edition will aid in securing Horton's place as a significant 19th-century American poet.
Library Journal
Review
[A]n impressive creative legacy.
Trudier Harris, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Review
"[A]n impressive creative legacy.
Trudier Harris, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill "
Review
The Black Bard fills the breach in information about the life and work of this 19th-century African American poet.
Choice
Review
This book is a valuable introduction to Horton's life and work that is accessible to both scholars and general readers.
North Carolina Historical Review
About the Author
Joan R. Sherman is professor emerita of English at Rutgers University. She is author and editor of several books on nineteenth-century African American poets.