The Fire in the Flint

The Fire in the Flint (1924) is a novel by Walter Francis White. Although he is generally recognized for his accomplishments as the longtime leader of the NAACP, White also wrote several novels during the Harlem Renaissance exploring the themes of Alain Locke’s New Negro Movement. Praised by W. E. B. Du Bois in The Crisis and by Konrad Bercovici in The Nation, The Fire in the Flint remains an invaluable testament to the power of fiction to address political matters. Dr. Kenneth Harper finds it difficult to overcome the deep inequities of life in the American South. Born and raised in Georgia, he returns to his hometown following his graduation from medical school and service in the First World War. Determined to open a clinic for his friends and neighbors, he avoids confrontation with white townspeople and focuses on the task at hand. Soon, however, he encounters opposition from neighbors who regard his success and intelligence as a threat to their power. Eventually, Harper is forced to lay his life on the line by opposing the Ku Klux Klan. The Fire in the Flint is a powerful bildungsroman grounded in truth and moral decency. Praised by Nobel Laureate Sinclair Lewis upon publication, White’s novel is a largely forgotten masterpiece of the Harlem Renaissance, perhaps the finest decade for art in the history of American culture. This edition of Walter Francis White’s The Fire in the Flint is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

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