An immensely powerful and bitingly satirical retelling of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Huck's friend, the enslaved Jim.

James is an enthralling and ferociously funny novel that leaves an indelible mark, forcing us to see Mark Twain''s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in a wholly new and transformative light. From the shadows of Huck Finn''s mischievous spirit, Jim emerges to reclaim his voice, defying the conventions that have consigned him to the margins. Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize for his novel The Trees , Professor Percival Everett is one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime. 1861, The Mississippi River. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a new owner in New Orleans and separated from his wife and daughter for ever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson''s Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, who recently returned to town. Thus begins a dangerous and transcendent journey by raft along the Mississippi River, toward the elusive promise of the free states and beyond. As James and Huck begin to navigate the treacherous waters, each bend in the river holds the promise of both salvation and demise. With rumours of a brewing war, James must face the burden he carries: the family he cannot protect and the constant lie he must live. Together, the unlikely pair must face the most dangerous odyssey of them all . . .

Autorentext

Percival Everett is the author of over thirty books, including Telephone, Dr No, The Trees, which was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize and won the 2022 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize, and Erasure, which was adapted into the major Oscar-winning film American Fiction. He has received the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award and the PEN Center USA Award for Fiction, has been a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and is Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California. An instant New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller in hardback, James was a finalist for the 2024 Orwell Prize for Fiction, was shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize and was named the Winner of the 2024 National Book Award for Fiction and the 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. Percival Everett lives in Los Angeles.

Klappentext

'Truly extraordinary books are rare, and this is one of them' - Roddy Doyle

James is a profound and ferociously funny novel from one of our greatest living writers, Percival Everett.

The Sunday Times Bestseller
Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction
Winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize
Finalist for the Orwell Prize for Fiction

The Mississippi River, 1861. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a new owner in New Orleans and separated from his wife and daughter forever, he flees to nearby Jackson's Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father who recently returned to town.

So begins a dangerous and transcendent journey along the Mississippi River, towards the elusive promise of the free states and beyond. As James and Huck navigate the treacherous waters, each bend in the river holds the promise of both salvation and demise. And together, the unlikely pair embark on the most life-changing odyssey of them all . . .

A 'Book of the Year' in The Observer, The Times & Sunday Times, The Guardian, Daily Mail, Daily Express, The Spectator, New Statesman, Independent, TLS, The Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, i newspaper, The Economist, The Irish Times, The New York Times, TIME and The New Yorker

**'Who should read this book? Every single person in the country' - Ann Patchett

'Scorchingly funny and action-packed' - The Sunday Times, 'Books of the Year'

'This may be Everett's best book yet' - Bonnie Garmus

'Playful and viciously comic' - The Telegraph, 'Books of the Year'

'My favourite novel this year' - Salman Rushdie**

Zusammenfassung
An immensely powerful and bitingly satirical retelling of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Huck's friend, the enslaved Jim.