In Search of Asylum

Parascandola (English, Long Island U.) and Wade (English, U. of the West Indies) present a collection of works by Guayana-born author Eric Walrond, who was well regarded during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, but whose work is less known after his move to England in 1929 and subsequent voluntary hospitalization. In their introduction, the editors sketch Walrond's history after leaving America, his feelings towards his British colonial childhood and perception of France's embrace of black artists, and the general chronology and socio-political orientation of his work. They describe his hospitalization and the continuation of his work during that period, and offer a brief outline of the pieces to follow. These include essays on Harlem and its artists, fugitive stories and journalism, a series of serialized fiction and essays published in the Roundway Hospital Review during the several years of his hospitalization, and three unpublished pieces from various periods. Notes following the text act as a glossary for many of Walrond's colorful colloquialisms and references. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)