Yerby, The Novelist

Frank Yerby was a popular American writer, best known for his 1946 historical novel The Foxes of Harrow, which was the first novel written by an African-American to become a best seller

 

Yerby was originally noted for writing romance novels set in the Antebellum South. In mid-century, Yerby began writing a series of best-selling historical novels ranging from The Athens the of the Pericles to Europe to the dark ages. Yerby took considerable pains in research and often footnoted his historical works. In all, he wrote 42 novels. Many which have been translated into several different languages.

 

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The Dohemean People

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Dahomey was a small country in West Africa. Dahomey no longer exists. Is it is now Benin. The Dahomey captured other rival tribes of Africans to be sold as slaves unknowing that the slave traders they were selling to, were vastly different than their own African customs.


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The novel focuses on Nyasanu,  a towering protagonist, meaning "man among men" although it should really mean "man among women" since Nyasanu ends up with more wives than he can handle and is eventually betrayed and shipped off to America as a slave.

Historical Fiction

   

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A List of Frank Yerby Novels

Benton's Row. New York: Dial Press, 1954.
Bride of liberty. Melbourne: Heinemann, 1955.
Captain Rebel. London: Heinemann, 1957.
El cielo esta´ muy alto, novella. Barcelona: Editorial Planeta, 1954.
The Dahomean. New York: Dial Press, 1971.
A Darkness at Ingraham's Crest: a Tale of the Slaveholding South. New York: Dial Press, c1979.
The Devil's Laughter. New York: Dial Press, 1953.
Devilseed. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1984.
Fairoaks. New York: Dell, 1974.
Floodtide. New York: Dial Press, 1950.
The Foxes of Harrow. New York: Dial Press, 1972, c1946.
The Garfield Honour. London: Heinemann, 1962.
Gillian. New York: Dial Press, 1960.
The Girl From Storyville. New York: Dell Pub., 1975.
Goat song: a novel of ancient Greece. New York: Dial Press, 1967.
The Golden Hawk. London: Heinemann, 1949.
Griffin's Way. New York: Dial Press, c1962.
Hail the Conquering Hero. New York: Dial Press, c1977.
Jarrett's Jade. New York: Pocket Books, 1960, c1959.
Judas, My Brother; the Story of the Thirteenth Disciple. New York: Dell, 1975.
The man from Dahomey. London: Heinemann, 1971.
McKenzie's hundred. London: Grafton, 1986, c1985.
Novelas. Barcelona: Editorial Planeta, 1970s.
An Odour of sanctity: A Novel of Moorish Spain. London: Heinemann, 1966, c1965.
The Old Gods Laugh: a Modern Romance. New York: Dial Press, 1964.
Pride's castle. New York: Dial Press, 1949.
A Rose for Ana Maria. New York: Dial Press, 1976.
The Saracen Blade. London: Heinemann, 1969, c1953.
The Serpent and the Staff. New Dell ed, New York: Dell, 1976.
Speak Now; A Modern Novel. New York: Dial Press, 1969.
Tobias and the Angel. London: Heinemann, 1975.
The Treasure of Pleasant Valley. New York: Dial Press, 1955.
The Vixens. New York: Dell, 1947.
The Voyage Unplanned. New York: Dial Press, 1974.
Western: a Saga of the Great Plains. New York: Dial Press, c1982.
A Woman Called Fancy. New York: Pocket Books, 1966, c1951.
Battle stations, Your Navy in Action (1946) Non Fiction
Das tibetanische Totenbuch oder Die Nach-Tod-Erfahrung auf der Bardo-Stufe.
 
Mayo fue el fin del mundo (1970)
The Best Short Stories by Black Writers, 1899-1967: The Classic Anthology ( he is also featured in this 1969 Anthology

 


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