God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse
by James Weldon Johnson
- Used
- good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Good
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Three Oaks, Michigan, United States
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Synopsis
James Weldon Johnson was a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance, and one of the most revered African Americans of all time, whose life demonstrated the full spectrum of struggle and success. In God's Trombones , one of his most celebrated works, inspirational sermons of African American preachers are reimagined as poetry, reverberating with the musicality and splendid eloquence of the spirituals. This classic collection includes "Listen Lord - A Prayer," "The Creation," "The Prodigal Son," "Go Down Death - A Funeral Sermon," "Noah Built the Ark," "The Crucifixion," "Let My People Go," and "The Judgment Day."
Read More: Identifying first editions of God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse
Reviews
In 1927 James Weldon Johnson published GOD'S TROMBONES - SEVEN NEGRO SERMONS IN VERSE. As Johnson said in the book's famous Preface, these sermons are meant to honor the American Negro folk sermon and the trombone-like voices of the great preachers who created, preserved, advanced and immortalized the sermons. *** Some scholars call this genre "the song sermon." Many agree that the song sermon is one of the very greatest contributions of American Negro Culture. *** Some excerpts from the unnumbered seven sermons: "THE CREATION": And God stepped out on space,/And he looked around and said:/ I'm lonely --/ I'll make me a world." ***** and from "THE PRODIGAL SON": Young man --/ Young man --/ Your arm's too short to box with God." ***** Also justly praised are the black and white drawings by Negro artist Aaron Douglas. His Prodigal Son wastes his substance in what looks like a Harlem "jook" or night spot. Douglas's Joseph of Arimathea is as black as the poet Johnson portrays him: in "THE CRUCIFIXION": "Up Golgotha's rugged road/ I see my Jesus go./ I see him sink beneath the load,/ I see my drooping Jesus sink./ And then they laid hold on Simon,/ Black Simon, yes, black Simon;/ They put the cross on SImon,/And Simon bore the cross." ***** A grand, very short little book. It inspired a short movie starring James Earl Jones. It makes for prayerful, meditative reading. -OOO-
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Details
- Bookseller
- BooksElleven (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- H4-WELDON
- Title
- God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse
- Author
- James Weldon Johnson
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- 22nd Printing
- Publisher
- The Viking Press; New York
- Date Published
- 1966
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
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