- Paperback: 208 pages
- Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (Nov 5 1991)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0679736506
- ISBN-13: 978-0679736509
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.2 x 1.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 227 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
When African-American writer Cudjoe returns to his hometown of Philadelphia to write a book about the 1985 police firebombing of a black cult, his homecoming spurs within him a myriad of memories and impressions. While recalling the abandonment of his white wife and two children, his failed novel and a dead mentor, he provides rich observation about the about the crumbling state of a once-beloved city. As his research unfolds, he examines issues of sex, race and the life of the city, ultimately uncovering information that sets the entire city into motion. Philadelphia Fire won the PEN/Faulkner Award for 1991.
From Publishers Weekly
While investigating the police firebombing of a black cult's headquarters in his native Philadelphia, expatriate black writer Cudjoe is haunted by vivid memories. "In incantatory, lyrical, naturalistic and inventive prose, Wideman writes of sex and race and life in the city, with all the beauty, profane humor and literary complexity of Joyce writing about Dublin," said PW. Author tour.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
overwritten mess,
By A Customer
This review is from: Philadelphia Fire (Paperback)
starts out as though it's gonna tell a story, then the plot is just abandoned -- forget it, it's never resolved -- and part two is supposedly the author musing about "what would i write if i was gonna write about this stuff?" -- and then part three has nothing to do with anything. well, as my mama used to say, "there's a whole lotta writing goin' on... and not much reading." in other words mr wideman just performed this for himself, for his own private pleasure and none of ours.
3.0 out of 5 stars
May 13, 1985,
By
This review is from: Philadelphia Fire (Paperback)
Wideman's book, Philadelphia Fire, starts with an absorbing idea - Cudjoe, an African-American expatriate, recently returned from Mykonos, returns to Philadelphia to write a novel about the bombing and fire at the Move complex in West Philadelphia and find the one child who survived. Yet for me, the book did not fulfill its promise. The stream of consciousness writing was complex, and distracted me greatly from the story. I was also disappointed that the bombing incident itself, its political underpinnings, and the story of the elusive child were never truly told. Rather, the book focuses on Cudjoe's experiences upon returning to Philadelphia; his failures and successes as a father, teacher, writer, and husband; and his investigations into the incident. Cudjoe's realizations redeem the book, as his insight into the life of an African-American man are profound. While I was disappointed that the subject in which I was interested was never covered in depth, the descriptions and feelings evoked by the title character made the book certainly worth reading.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Escapism at its Finest,
By "jeremy101" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Philadelphia Fire (Paperback)
In Philadelphia Fire Wideman takes on the task of engaging with issues important to the African American community while at the same time presenting them from a modernist viewpoint. Yet topics such as voyeurism, fidelity, and even the title fire are left behind in the main character's escapism. Perhaps Wideman wants to show the disorienting effects society plays on the male African American mind. However, the style becomes tiresome, despite glimpses of simply beautiful writing, and halfway through I found myself looking for an escape as well.
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