The Walls of Jericho - (Dover Thrift Editions: Black History) by Rudolph Fisher (Paperback)

About the Book

Black lawyer Fred Merrit moves into a white neighborhood and faces racism and classism from his White neighbors and Harlem's Black community. Includes four short stories: "City of Refuge," "The Promised Land," "Ringtail," and "Blades of Steel."

Book Synopsis

Rudolph Fisher's outstanding debut novel The Walls of Jericho, published in 1928, explores race and class issues during the 1920s Harlem Renaissance through the lens of Black lawyer Fred Merrit, who buys a home in a white neighborhood bordering Harlem. What progresses is a satirical journey through Merrit's life as he encounters the racism of his new white neighbors as well as racism and classism among the residents of Black Harlem. This edition includes four of Fisher's short stories that capture the Black Jazz Age urban experience, initially published in the iconic magazine The Atlantic Monthly: "City of Refuge," "The Promised Land," "Ringtail," and "Blades of Steel."

From the Back Cover

The Walls of Jericho was one of the most successful novels of the 1920s Harlem Renaissance. Rudolph Fisher's outstanding debut recounts the satirical journey of Black lawyer Fred Merrit, who buys a home in a white neighborhood bordering Harlem and encounters the racism of his new white neighbors as well as racism and classism among the residents of Black Harlem. This edition includes four of Fisher's short stories that capture the Jazz Age urban experience, initially published in the iconic magazine The Atlantic Monthly: "The City of Refuge," "Ringtail," "The Promised Land," and "Blades of Steel."
Fisher had a dual major in biology and English at Brown University, and he graduated from Howard University Medical School. He was one of the most gifted short story writers of the Harlem Renaissance. Langston Hughes called him the "wittiest of these New Negroes of Harlem."