Bücher von Georgia Douglas Johnson

The Heart of a Woman and Other Poems (1918) is a collection of poetry by Georgia Douglas Johnson. Marking Johnson''s debut as one of the leading poets of the Harlem Renaissance, The Heart of a Woman and Other Poems is an invaluable work of African American literature for scholars and poetry enthusiasts alike. Comprised of Johnson''s earliest works as a poet, the collection showcases her sense of the musicality of language while illuminating the experiences of African American women of the early twentieth century. "The heart of a woman goes forth with the dawn, / As a lone bird, soft winging, so restlessly on." Recalling Paul Laurence Dunbar''s classic poem "Sympathy," which immortalizes the African American experience with the line "I know why the caged bird sings," the title poem of Johnson''s collection compares the heart to a bird. Musical and dreamlike, Johnson''s poem envisions "the heart of a woman" as it "enters some alien cage in its plight, / And tries to forget it has dreamed of the stars / While it breaks, breaks, breaks on the sheltering bars." With each repetition of "breaks," the reader can feel the restlessness and fear of the bird as it beats its wings against its cage, the heart as it beats against the "sheltering bars" of the ribs. In this poem, and throughout the collection, Johnson shows an efficiency with language uncommon to many poets, let alone one making her debut. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Georgia Douglas Johnson''s The Heart of a Woman and Other Poems is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Bronze (1922) is a collection of poetry by Georgia Douglas Johnson. As Johnson's second published volume, Bronze is an invaluable work of African American literature for scholars and poetry enthusiasts alike. Comprised of some of Johnson's best poems, and graced with a foreword by W.E.B. Du Bois, Bronze showcases her sense of the musicality of language while illuminating the experiences of African American women of the early twentieth century."Don't knock at my heart, little one, / I cannot bear the pain / Of turning deaf-ear to your call / Time and time again!" This poem, titled "Black Woman," contains the tragic lament of a woman for whom motherhood would mean exposing her child to the cruelties of a racist world. "You do not know the monster men / Inhabiting the earth. / Be still, be still, my precious child, / I must not give you birth." Far from denying life, this black woman knows that the life of a black child would be precious only to her, and that she would lack the ability to defend her "little one" from violence and hatred. Despite this bleak vision, Johnson also foresees a time of peace, a world in which "All men as one beneath the sun" will live "In brotherhood forever." Throughout this collection, Johnson shows an efficiency with language and ear for music that make her an essential, underappreciated artist of the Harlem Renaissance. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Georgia Douglas Johnson's Bronze is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.