Fiction2003

The Known World

Edward P. Jones
Overview
Region

Diaspora

USA

Era

Contemporary

Language

English

Genre

Fiction

About This Work

In antebellum Virginia, a free Black man owns slaves. After his death, his plantation unravels while the county sheriff — also a former slave — struggles to maintain order. A profound meditation on freedom and its perversions.

Literary Significance

Pulitzer Prize, National Book Critics Circle Award; one of the most formally accomplished American novels about slavery

Access This Work
Read or download this work from trusted sources