The Known World

De: Edward P. Jones

Narrado por: Kevin Free

Pulitzer Prize, Fiction, 2004

National Book Critics Circle Award, Fiction, 2004

Henry Townsend, a black farmer, bootmaker, and former slave, has a fondness for Paradise Lost and an unusual mentor, William Robbins, perhaps the most powerful white man in antebellum Virginia's Manchester County. Under Robbins's tutelage, Henry becomes proprietor of his own plantation, as well as of his own slaves. When he dies, his widow Caldonia succumbs to profound grief; and things begin to fall apart: slaves take to escaping under the cover of night, and families who had once found love beneath the weight of slavery begin to betray one another. Beyond the Townsend estate, the known world also unravels: low-paid white patrollers stand watch as slave "speculators" sell free black people into slavery; and rumor of slave rebellions set white families against slaves who have served them for years.

An ambitious, luminously written novel that ranges seamlessly between the past and future and back again to the present, The Known World weaves together the lives of freed and enslaved blacks, whites, and Indians, and allows all of us a deeper understanding of the enduring multidimensional world created by the institution of slavery.

©2003 Edward P. Jones (P)2003 HarperCollins Publishers

Reseñas de la Crítica

IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, 2005

"A masterpiece that deserves a place in the American literary canon." (Time)

"This remarkable novel, winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award and short-listed for the National Book Award, deserves all the acclaim it has won and then some, especially in this flawless rendition.... Kevin Free's narration is so accomplished that when a woman character speaks, you utterly forget that she does it through a man's voice. He gives each character color, personality, and heft, without ever vamping or straining for effect. The novel bears comparison with Trollope and Faulkner, and Kevin Free's performance of it is in the same league." (AudioFile)

"A complex, often startling picture of life in the region....[Jones'] narrative achieves crushing momentum through sheer accumulation of detail, unusual historical insight, and generous character writing." (Publishers Weekly)

"Jones has written a book of tremendous moral intricacy." (The New Yorker)

Fascinating and extraordinary.

eye opening to learn the horrific lives people lived in this period of time. Extremely hard to understand a race of people could think and behave in such a manner.

Fascinating Story ...

Fascinating story with rich characters brought to life by Kevin Free. Listen - intently.

Great atmosphere… But challenging to follow.

Please read this book for your own education! But I’ll be the first to admit I had trouble following the story because it jumps back-and-forth decades and generations without much warning, and has hundreds of characters which are therefore difficult to keep straight in your mind. I think the way to approach this book is to appreciate it for its exploration of the overall atmosphere of race relations in the south and as an exploration of the personal dynamics that can arise in the context of such bizarre and contradictory institutions as black slavery, and a black slave owning class. Fantastic performance by the reader.

A Fascinating World

Very few people, black or white, would be familiar with this world since it is set in a world of slavery prior to the American Civil war and deals with *black* slave owners. That in itself is a fascinating backdrop that Edward P. Jones masterful utilizes along with the black dialect of the time. The author creates a richly textured story around multiple, intertwined lives within the *known world* that exists largely within the microcosm of the plantation and at most Manchester county. Without making too many proclamations about good and evil (which would have made it a bland read) Edward P. Jones creates characters that are not cleanly delineated or labeled much like real-life where people have their many shaded complexities. The only criticism I have is that it is difficult to follow the numerous characters as they are first introduced. The story does weave in and out of plots so you need to get used to this approach early on. Once you do, it's a great ride that keeps moving forward.

The Know World

This is a unique story written in a unique way. The author weaves a very mesmorizing story with unforgettable characters in an historic tale I was enthralled with!

Amazing

You all have GOT to read this novel it won the 2004 Pulitzer but I had not heard of it before. Great historical novel with deep character development it stays with you...

A Gem.

This is a rich and moving story of the impact of slavery on the people in a small area of Virginia. It makes no moral judgements, just lets the characters speak. Yes, there are many characters and plotlines but each tells an important aspect of a tale that is far more than the sum of its parts. Very highly recommended.

Great perspective

This was a great book! Yes it is a little slow but the detail is necessary to understand the characters. If you are going to read this book go in with an open mind

Unique and Perplexing Content

The Known World, Written by: Edward P. Jones. What would be if a black man in antebellum rural Virginia became a free man, and then acquired property and himself became a slave owner. Take it one step further, what if his wife becomes the plantation Lady and its manager? This is about good people becoming bad, bad people considering good and how humanity perverts itself because somewhere in our genetic makeup we esteem ourselves weather worthy of the reverence or not.

This book came into the known world and rocked literary foundations. One must admit its structural content is unique if not perplexing. The novel won a National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2004. In 2005 it won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. One would think it was destined for an important demarcation in American literature. It has since fizzled.

Has that failure to become a point of reference in literature, an indication the book is without worth, notwithstanding its stupendous but blunderbuss genesis. Has its fading from popularity been deserved? True the nonnatives are de minimums; but there is a tale here that keeps the reader involved. Certainly, there are many occurrences between the book’s characters that evoke much inner emotions in the reader. Contrarily though, the story, perhaps, is just too beyond what readers today would consider as a true past happening. The story does not fit into our imaginations.

Nevertheless, this is a recommended read as it entertains, generates considerations about slavery and its supporting society and does evoke one’s emotions.

Excellent Story

Very well written and read. The voice inflections helped to improve the over all experience.