Nigger Heaven
Encyclopedia
Nigger Heaven is a 1926 novel written by Carl Van Vechten
, set during the Harlem Renaissance
in the United States
in the 1920s. The book and its title have been controversial since its publication.
The novel, on the other hand, is a portrayal of life in the "great black walled city" of Harlem. It describes the interactions of intellectuals, political activists, bacchanalian workers, and other Harlem characters. The plot of the novel concerns two people, a quiet librarian and an aspiring writer, who try to keep their love alive as racism
denies them every opportunity.
This roman à clef
became an instant bestseller and served as an informal pocket guide to Harlem. It also split the black literary community, as some, e.g. Langston Hughes
, Nella Larsen
, and Wallace Thurman
, appreciated it, while others like Countee Cullen
, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Alain Locke regarded it as an "affront to the hospitality of black folks". The book fueled a period of "Harlemania", during which the area of Harlem became en vogue among white people, who then frequented its cabarets, bars, and so on.
s, as the white members of the congregation sat below.
, "nigger
," in its title, was met with mixed reception. It was initially banned in Boston. Van Vechten's own father was said to have written his son two letters imploring that he change the title to something less offensive.
Many early reviews of the novel focused on the seemingly negative portrayal of African-American culture, with its vivid depictions of sex, gambling, alcohol, and other immoral acts. W. E. B. DuBois attacked the novel in an article published in The Crisis
, the official magazine of the NAACP
upon its publication. He later addressed the text in depth in an essay titled, On Carl Van Vechten's Nigger Heaven, where he called the novel, "an affront to the hospitality of black folk and to the intelligence of white."
Conversely, other prominent African-American reviews, such as that of James Weldon Johnson
, which appeared in Opportunity, the official journal of the National Urban League
, lauded the text. Van Vechten's friend and poet, Langston Hughes
would go on to write poems to replace the songs used in the original manuscript and in the first printings of the text.
Opinions of the novel also diverged along racial lines. Many white critics of the time, largely ignorant of emerging black authors, had little to compare Nigger Heaven to, and viewed the novel as an enlightening, forward-minded text.
Carl van Vechten
Carl Van Vechten was an American writer and photographer who was a patron of the Harlem Renaissance and the literary executor of Gertrude Stein.-Biography:...
, set during the Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 1920s. The book and its title have been controversial since its publication.
The novel, on the other hand, is a portrayal of life in the "great black walled city" of Harlem. It describes the interactions of intellectuals, political activists, bacchanalian workers, and other Harlem characters. The plot of the novel concerns two people, a quiet librarian and an aspiring writer, who try to keep their love alive as racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
denies them every opportunity.
This roman à clef
Roman à clef
Roman à clef or roman à clé , French for "novel with a key", is a phrase used to describe a novel about real life, overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship between the nonfiction and the fiction...
became an instant bestseller and served as an informal pocket guide to Harlem. It also split the black literary community, as some, e.g. Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
, Nella Larsen
Nella Larsen
Nellallitea 'Nella' Larsen Nellallitea 'Nella' Larsen Nellallitea 'Nella' Larsen (born Nellie Walker (April 13, 1891 – March 30, 1964), was an American novelist of the Harlem Renaissance. She published two novels and a few short stories. Though her literary output was scant, what she wrote earned...
, and Wallace Thurman
Wallace Thurman
Wallace Henry Thurman was an American novelist during the Harlem Renaissance. He is best known for his novel The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life, which explores discrimination among black people based on skin color.-Early life:...
, appreciated it, while others like Countee Cullen
Countee Cullen
Countee Cullen was an American poet who was popular during the Harlem Renaissance.- Biography :Cullen was an American poet and a leading figure with Langston Hughes in the Harlem Renaissance. This 1920s artistic movement produced the first large body of work in the United States written by African...
, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Alain Locke regarded it as an "affront to the hospitality of black folks". The book fueled a period of "Harlemania", during which the area of Harlem became en vogue among white people, who then frequented its cabarets, bars, and so on.
Title
The title refers to the balconies of 19th century churches, when balconies were reserved for African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s, as the white members of the congregation sat below.
Reception
The book, due in part to the inclusion of the pejorativePejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
, "nigger
Nigger
Nigger is a noun in the English language, most notable for its usage in a pejorative context to refer to black people , and also as an informal slang term, among other contexts. It is a common ethnic slur...
," in its title, was met with mixed reception. It was initially banned in Boston. Van Vechten's own father was said to have written his son two letters imploring that he change the title to something less offensive.
Many early reviews of the novel focused on the seemingly negative portrayal of African-American culture, with its vivid depictions of sex, gambling, alcohol, and other immoral acts. W. E. B. DuBois attacked the novel in an article published in The Crisis
The Crisis
The Crisis is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People , and was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois , Oswald Garrison Villard, J. Max Barber, Charles Edward Russell, Kelly Miller, W.S. Braithwaite, M. D. Maclean.The original title of the journal was...
, the official magazine of the NAACP
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
upon its publication. He later addressed the text in depth in an essay titled, On Carl Van Vechten's Nigger Heaven, where he called the novel, "an affront to the hospitality of black folk and to the intelligence of white."
Conversely, other prominent African-American reviews, such as that of James Weldon Johnson
James Weldon Johnson
James Weldon Johnson was an American author, politician, diplomat, critic, journalist, poet, anthologist, educator, lawyer, songwriter, and early civil rights activist. Johnson is remembered best for his leadership within the NAACP, as well as for his writing, which includes novels, poems, and...
, which appeared in Opportunity, the official journal of the National Urban League
National Urban League
The National Urban League , formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of African Americans and against racial discrimination in the United States. It is the oldest and largest...
, lauded the text. Van Vechten's friend and poet, Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
would go on to write poems to replace the songs used in the original manuscript and in the first printings of the text.
Opinions of the novel also diverged along racial lines. Many white critics of the time, largely ignorant of emerging black authors, had little to compare Nigger Heaven to, and viewed the novel as an enlightening, forward-minded text.