Chester B. Himes
Chester Himes began writing in prison and went on to produce searing novels of Black American life before inventing the Harlem Detective series featuring Coffin Ed and Gravedigger Jones. His work straddles the line between protest fiction and popular genre.
Works
- If He Hollers Let Him GoNovel of a Black factory worker facing racism, violence, and survival in wartime Los Angeles
- Lonely CrusadeNovel about a Black Communist organizer's struggle against racism and class oppression
- The Third GenerationAutobiographical novel chronicling Black family life and racial violence across generations
- Cast the First StonePrison memoir and novel set in a penitentiary examining inmates' lives and relationships
- A Rage in HarlemCrime mystery set in Harlem featuring detectives Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed