The Life of Herod the Great

Built from the fragments of an unfinished novel that was, in part, salvaged after a fire and missing significant narrative sections, this rescued work, edited and with commentary by Deborah G. Plant (an independent scholar of African American and Africana studies), demonstrates Hurston’s (1891–1960) profound ability to shape from the past a version of her present and society’s future. It showcases both her training in cultural anthropology and her storytelling brilliance. Her writing style presents historical accuracy, with voices that bring to mind the stylized cadences of a chorus. She uses the biblical story of Herod the Great as a mechanism for exploring concepts of power in ways that are as relevant now as they were when she last worked on a draft of this title in 1958. Familiar as the story of Herod may be, Hurston puts her authorial signature on it. The missing sections invite readers to think about what other changes she might have made through her linguistic choices, images, and emphases.