On Morrison

An illuminating, electrifying exploration of the work of Toni Morrison by an award-winning novelist and Harvard professor

"Magnificent . . . [a] breathtaking, provocative, and refreshing engagement with Morrison as a thinker as well as an artist. Filled with unique analyses, deep dives, and an intellectual playfulness that Morrison herself so valued, this book will stand as one of the most important 21st century works on the great American writer."
—Imani Perry, author of South to America, Winner of the National Book Award

"Immense gratitude for this book . . . [Serpell] rises to the challenge of extending and expanding a legacy by giving the person at the heart of that legacy time, rigor, and care."
—Hanif Abdurraqib, author of There’s Always This Year

Toni Morrison, Nobel Laureate and one of our most beloved writers, has inspired generations of readers. But her artistic genius is often overshadowed by her monumental public persona, perhaps because, as Namwali Serpell puts it, “she is our only truly canonical black, female writer—and her work is highly complex.” In On Morrison, Serpell brings her unique experience as both an award-winning writer and professor who teaches a course on Morrison to illuminate her masterful experiments with literary form.

This is Morrison as you’ve never encountered her before, a journey through her oeuvre—her fiction and criticism, as well as her lesser-known dramatic works and poetry—with contextual guidance, archival discoveries, and original close readings. At once accessible and uncompromisingly rigorous, On Morrison is a primer not only on how to read one of the most significant American authors of all time, but also on how to read great works of literature in general. This dialogue on the page between two black women artist-readers is stylish, edifying, and thrilling in its scope and intelligence.