Nella Larsen

Claroscuro, un soberbio drama sobre la identidad y el deseo traducido por primera vez al castellano, narra la relación de amistad entre dos mujeres de color en la Nueva York de los años veinte. Irene Redfield se reencuentra por casualidad con una amiga de la infancia, Clare Kendry, quien comparte con ella el hecho de que, a pesar de ser negra, su piel es lo suficientemente clara para que pueda pasar por blanca. Irene ha permanecido en la comunidad negra y esta casada con un medico afroamericano. Claire, sin embargo, se hace pasar por blanca y esta casada con un blanco que goza de una desahogada posicion economica y desprecia a la gente de color. El casual encuentro hace que, a pesar de la reticencia inicial de Irene, retomen su amistad, amistad que le permitira a Clare cumplir su deseo de reencontrarse con los de su raza.

Arenas movedizas está inspirada en la propia vida de la autora. Nella Larsen crea un peculiar personaje, una mujer complicada y llena de matices que se niega a sentirse víctima del desarraigo y la discriminacion racial. Helga Crane, una joven afroamericana, condenada a una vida llena de insatisfaccion, que lucha por conseguir la felicidad e integrarse en la sociedad, sea cual sea esta. Una mujer mestiza, de madre danesa y padre afroamericano, incapaz de sentirse comoda en la comunidad afroamericana de Estados Unidos, decide emprender un viaje a Dinamarca en busca de personas entre las que se sienta integrada. Se enfrenta a la hipocresia y los prejuicios de la sociedad, y su afan por adaptarse a las diversas comunidades raciales nunca tiene exito.

PASAR

Clare Kendry has severed all ties to her past. Elegant, fair-skinned and ambitious, she is married to a white man who is unaware of her African-American heritage. When she renews her acquaintance with her childhood friend Irene, who has not hidden her origins, both women are forced to reassess their marriages, the lies they have told - and to confront the secret fears they have buried within themselves. Nella Larsen''s intense, taut and psychologically nuanced portrayal of lives and identities dangerously colliding established her as a leading writer of America''s Harlem Renaissance.The Penguin English Library - collectable general readers'' editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century to the end of the Second World War.

The overlooked American writer who blows apart modern thinking on race TelegraphBorn to a Danish mother and a West Indian father Helga Crane has long had to fend for herself as a mixed race woman in the Deep South of 1920 s America She moves to Harlem and then to Copenhagen in her search for a sense of belonging and acceptance but wherever she goes she cannot escape the perceptions and prejudices of others One of the finest works of the Harlem Renaissance Nella Larsen s semi autobiographical first novel is a powerful portrayal of one woman s fractured inner life

HarperCollins is proud to present our range of timeless literary classics. She wished to find out about this hazardous business of passing, this breaking away from all that was familiar and friendly to take ones chance in another environment The elegant Clare Kendry glides through New Yorks high-society circles with ease, until the day she is reacquainted with her childhood friend, Irene. Clare chooses to pass as white, hiding her African American heritage from her bigoted husband, while Irene leads a life that embraces it. As both women observe the other, a relationship of mutual fascination, obsession and secrets begins, one that will end in devastating circumstances. Published in 1929, Nella Larsens Passing lays bare the complexities of identity, race, class and gender. The novella established Larsen as one of the most important female authors in American literature and is considered a literary masterpiece of the Harlem Renaissance era.

Neste marco do colorismo, com fortes tintas autobiográficas, Helga Crane é filha de pai negro e mãe branca e, portanto, não tem lugar nos Estados Unidos racista dos anos 1920. Conhecemos Helga em uma

The overlooked American writer who blows apart modern thinking on raceTelegraphBorn to a Danish mother and a West Indian father, Helga Crane has long had to fend for herself as a mixed-race woman in the Deep South of 1920s America. She moves to Harlem and then to Copenhagen in her search for a sense of belonging and acceptance, but wherever she goes, she cannot escape the perceptions and prejudices of others. One of the finest works of the Harlem Renaissance, Nella Larsens semi-autobiographical first novel is a powerful portrayal of one womans fractured inner life.

Clare e Irene se reencontraram, por acaso, no terraço de um elegante hotel. Na Chicago dos anos 1920, elas nem poderiam, pela lei, estar ali: so negras que, por conta da pele clara, estavam passando-se por brancas. Irene, e verdade, manteve-se na raça: mora no Harlem e e membro ativo da Sociedade Negra. Ja Clare, para deixar a pobreza, adotou uma identidade de branca e casou-se com um homem rico e profundamente racista. Irene e negra por compromisso moral; Clare quer voltar a ser negra, por prazer. Em uma sociedade cega a ambiguidade racial, Irene e Clare, como as duas metades do yin yang, esto em constante busca por um espaço o qual nunca podero ocupar plenamente. Clare, a negra que se passa por branca, fascina e angustia Irene, a negra que pensa como branca. Nos polos opostos, seus maridos: o branco racista que quer levar Clare para a Europa; o medico negro que sonha em mudar a familia para o Brasil. A essa perigosa tenso social soma-se uma carga sexual, precipitando o desfecho inexoravel para as pessoas de cor que no encontram seu lugar em um mundo em preto e branco.

Clássico do movimento de renascença do Harlem, este livro é um relato impactante sobre o colorismo nos Estados Unidos.Irene e Claire, duas mulheres negras de pele clara, não se veem desde a infância,

VINTAGE CLASSICS HARLEM RENAISSANCE SERIESCelebrating the finest works of the Harlem Renaissance, one of the most important Black arts movements in modern history.She could neither conform nor be happy in her unconformityNella Larsen wrote two novels in her lifetime, both of which are collected here. The first, Quicksand, follows a mixed-race woman who runs from the fictional town of Naxos to Chicago to Harlem to Copenhagen. It becomes easy for her to leave behind places but the discrimination shes running from is inescapable. In Passing, two childhood friends reconnect later in life. One, slightly more light-skinned than the other, lives her life passing for a white person, married to a flagrant racist while her friend observes uneasily.Masterfully plotted and infinitely illuminating, Quicksand and Passing are two of the finest works of the Harlem Renaissance.A beloved novel from the Harlem Renaissance that follows the fraught relationship between two childhood friends, one who passes for white and one who chooses not toBrit BennettAbsolutely absorbing, fascinating and indispensable Alice WalkerBuy the book W. E. B. Du Bois

Um dos maiores clássicos da literatura afro-americana, elogiado por W.E.B. Du Bois como um dos romances que melhor traduz o drama do colorismo no pós-abolição dos Estados Unidos, De passagem inaugura

Lapsuudenystavat Irene ja Clare ovat taustaltaan afroamerikkalaisia, ihonvariltaan vaaleita naisia, joita elama on vienyt eri suuntiin. Irene elaa mustan laakarimiehensa ja kahden poikansa kanssa mustien yhteisossa New Yorkin Harlemissa, Clare on valinnut elaman valkoisena, eika hanen rasistinen miehensa tieda hanen juuristaan. Kun ystavykset vuosien jalkeen kohtaavat, he joutuvat tarkastelemaan elamaansa, identiteettiaan ja valintojaan uusin silmin.Naisten valille syntyy monivivahteinen suhde, jota varittavat salaisuudet, ristiriidat ja keskinainen vetovoima. Kummankin elamassa avautuu uusi lehti. Tarina paattyy traagisesti, mutta loppu jattaa tilaa tulkinnoille. Mita tapahtui todellisuudessa, mika oli pelkkaa kuvitelmaa? Vaikuttiko joku tapahtumien kulkuun?Romaanin teema on paivanpolttava: mista identiteetti rakentuu, mika on etnisen taustan, luokan ja sukupuolen merkitys. Paaseeko juuriaan pakoon?

Passingis a profound exploration of racial identity, societal expectations, and the intricate dynamics of friendship and betrayal. Nella Larsen delves into the complexities of race and colorism in 1920s America, portraying a society where appearances are carefully curated, and personal identity is often sacrificed for social acceptance. Through the intertwined lives of Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield, the novel examines how race can be both a barrier and a means of survival, as well as how it influences personal choices and relationships.Since its publication, Passing has been acclaimed for its nuanced portrayal of identity and the tensions surrounding race and class. The novels exploration of these themes has inspired academic discussions and adaptations in various forms, including films and theatrical productions. Its characters, particularly Clare and Irene, have become central to debates on identity, autonomy, and the pressures of societal norms.The novel remains relevant today due to its incisive critique of social constructs and its portrayal of the personal and collective struggles tied to race. By addressing issues of belonging, self-perception, and the cost of conformity, Passing continues to resonate as a powerful commentary on the human experience in the face of societal expectations.

A remarkable volume that brings together the complete fiction of the author of Passing and Quicksand, one of the most gifted writers of the Harlem Renaissance. "An original and hugely insightful writer." The New York TimesThroughout her short but brilliant literary career, Nella Larsen wrote piercing dramas about the black middle class that featured sensitive, spirited heroines struggling to find a place where they belonged. Passing, Larsens best-known work, is a disturbing story about the unraveling lives of two childhood friends, one of whom turns her back on her past and marries a white bigot. Just as disquieting is the portrait in Quicksand of Helga Crane, half black and half white, who is unable to escape her loneliness no matter where and with whom she lives. Race and marriage offer few securities here or in the other stories in this compulsively readable collection, rich in psychological complexity and imbued with a sense of place that brings Harlem vibrantly to life.

Born to a white mother and an absent black father, and despised for her dark skin, Helga Crane has long had to fend for herself. As a young woman, Helga teaches at an all-black school in the South, but even here she feels different. Moving to Harlem and eventually to Denmark, she attempts to carve out a comfortable life and place for herself, but ends up back where she started, choosing emotional freedom that quickly translates into a narrow existence. Quicksand, Nella Larsens powerful first novel, has intriguing autobiographical parallels and at the same time invokes the international dimension of African American culture of the 1920s. It also evocatively portrays the racial and gender restrictions that can mark a life.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

The classic 1920s story of a friendship torn apart, Passing is Nella Larsens devastating masterpiece Irene Redfield is living a life of careful balance in Harlem when a chance encounter draws her back into the orbit of Clare Kendry, a childhood friend. Passing as white, Clare moves effortlessly through a world that Irene has chosen to reject. Their renewed intimacy is charged with fascination and envy.BRIEF ENCOUNTERS: classic novellas and captivating stories, to be read in a single sitting or savoured over days