Clarence Major is one of America's literary masters. He has published numerous books, from novels to poetry and short story collections. Among his many accolades, he was a finalist for the National Book Award and a Fulbright scholar and received the PEN Oakland/Reginald Lockett Lifetime Achievement Award. His work has been featured in many literary journals, newspapers, and magazines, including the New Yorker, the New York Times, and Ploughshares.

Whether you've known Major's work for decades or are new to his singular style, The Essential Clarence Major offers a thrilling overview of an exceptional career, from his early groundbreaking fiction to his most recent poems. Included here are excerpts from Major's best novels, a selection of his finest short stories and poetry, more than a dozen thought-provoking essays, a taste of his autobiography. Award-winning playwright, novelist, and screenwriter Kia Corthron introduces the collection, artfully illuminating Major's importance as one of the foremost and original voices in contemporary American literature.

A well-packaged collection of novel excerpts, short stories, essays, memoir, and poetry that will give the reader a generous sampling of [Major's] creative range. The segments of his prose writing are most revealing and intriguing. . . . As a craftsman, he possesses the prowess as a consummate writer, capable of providing effective characterization, dialogue or setting."—Neworld Review

"Major . . . has long been recognized by scholars of African American literature; yet unfortunately, this quirky but highly engaging author is far less well known by general readers. This anthology of his fiction, nonfiction, and poetry should help to rectify the situation."—Library Journal, Starred Review

Clarence Major is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English at the University of California, Davis.

Kia Corthron is a playwright and novelist and author of The Castle Cross the Magnet Carter, which was awarded The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize in 2016 and was a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice. Her plays have been produced in New York, across the United States, and internationally.