James. Premio Pulitzer de Ficción 2025. National Book Award 2024 / James (a Novel) - by Percival Everett (Paperback)

About the Book

"From Percival Everett-a recipient of the NBCC Lifetime Achievement Award and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Booker Prize, and numerous PEN awards-comes James, a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond. While many narrative set pieces of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river's banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin...), Jim's agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light. Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a "cult literary icon" (Oprah Daily), and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime, James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature"--

Book Synopsis

Premio Pulitzer 2025 * National Award Prize 2024

James es un libro fascinante, una reescritura de Las aventuras de Huckleberry Finn de Mark Twain desde el punto de vista de Jim, el esclavo. Con una inteligencia sobrecogedora, Percival Everett es capaz de demoler las absurdas barreras del racismo. Sentimos la igualdad natural en esta aventura y entendemos que el robo del lenguaje es fundamental en cualquier tipo de esclavitud. En ese sentido, James resuena en nuestro presente. James es el nombre de la dignidad.

El esclavo ha visitado de forma clandestina la biblioteca de su amo y ha aprendido a leer y escribir. Entonces, se entera de que lo han vendido y que lo van a separar de su mujer y su hija. Decide escaparse. En esa aventura trepidante lo acompaña Huck. Los dos se convierten en una pareja de personajes que se necesitan mutuamente no solo para sobrevivir, también para conocerse y mantener cierta humanidad. El lenguaje es fundamental en este libro de lectura trepidante construido casi enteramente a través del diálogo.

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

Pulitzer Prize 2025 * National Award Prize 2024

James is a fascinating novel--a reimagining of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told from the perspective of Jim, the enslaved man. With staggering insight, Percival Everett dismantles the absurd barriers of racism. We feel the natural equality in this journey and understand that the theft of language is central to every form of enslavement. In that sense, James resonates deeply with our present. James is the name of dignity.

The enslaved man has secretly visited his master's library and taught himself to read and write. When he learns he's been sold and will be separated from his wife and daughter, he decides to escape. Huck joins him on this gripping adventure. Together, they become a pair who need each other not only to survive, but to understand themselves and preserve their humanity. Language is at the heart of this fast-paced novel, built almost entirely through dialogue.