Who is Percival Everett, the Pulitzer-winning author behind James – a reimagining of Huckleberry Finn?
When it was first published in the United States of America (USA) in 1855, Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was considered somewhat controversial and obligingly it found itself – and continues to find itself to this day – on a smattering of banned lists. Initially, it was spurned for its coarse language, and later over the use of a racial slur over 200 times, and yet the novel continues to be revered as one of the 'great American novels.'
Over 170 years later, who better than Percival Everett, who himself has been heralded as one of the greatest chroniclers of modern America, to reimagine Twain's plucky story, only this time through the eyes of Huck's enslaved sidekick Jim. Since its debut in 2024, the novel, James, has received accolade upon accolade – the National Book Award for fiction and the Kirkus Prize in the US, the Booker prize shortlist in the UK and now, the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Upon reading Twain's creation, Ernest Hemingway had famously declared: 'There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since.' Clearly, the literary community seems to have a somewhat similar exalted reaction to Everett's creation, if the glowing reviews are anything to go by. However, some critics have taken issue with 'pandering' the readers, a 'pedagogical' tone and the distracting literary shadow of Twain's work.
Everett's reimagining, published by Doubleday, could well be considered a sequel, as Finn, when first introduced, was a sidekick to Tom Sawyer (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1876) till he got to star in his own adventure, and now Finn's companion Jim gets to be the main character.
A different lens
Twain's Huckleberry Finn is a picaresque novel following two runaways – a white boy who wants to escape his alcoholic father and the other a slave whose owner intends to sell him. However, in Everett's hands the classic novel takes new life, it is not a mere retelling, but a reimagining. The African American slaves only act like their tropes in front of the White people, as soon as the White characters leave, they come to their own – their conversation is witty and their diction elevated. This is a so-called 'slave filter' to protect themselves.
The Pulitzer Prize Board described James as 'an accomplished reconsideration of Huckleberry Finn that gives agency to Jim to illustrate the absurdity of racial supremacy and provide a new take on the search for family and freedom.'
Who is Percival Everett
Everett is a Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He is known for his philosophical writing on race, class and inequality. He has authored over 30 books, plunging into diverse genres. His best known works include I Am Not Sidney Poitier (2009), Telephone and Erasure (2001), which was the basis for the Academy Award-nominated film American Fiction (2023).
He has been nominated for the Booker Prize twice. A Guggenheim Fellow and Pulitzer Prize Finalist, Everett has won the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award, the Academy Award in Literature, the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction, and the Windham-Campbell Literature Prize for Fiction. In 2021, he received the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Book Critics Circle Awards.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
29 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Edmund White – the ‘godfather of gay literature'– is no more: 6 books you should read
Edmund White, the author who redefined queer literature, passed away on June 3, 2025, at the age of 85. A prolific writer, White penned over 30 books, including autobiographical novels and biographies, that captured the complexities of gay life with wit, sensuality, and emotional depth. His work chronicled everything from the liberating hedonism of pre-AIDS New York to the devastating losses of the epidemic, cementing his legacy as one of the most important gay writers of the 20th and 21st centuries. White wrote fearlessly, blending high literary style with raw, often explicit accounts of desire and identity. Below is a guide to some of his most essential books. 1. A Boy's Own Story (1982) A semi-autobiographical coming-of-age novel that became a cornerstone of gay literature. Set in 1950s America, A Boy's Own Story follows an unnamed teenager grappling with his homosexuality in a repressive, homophobic society. White's protagonist is introspective and conflicted, simultaneously drawn to and ashamed of his desires. The novel captures the loneliness of adolescence as the boy navigates fraught relationships with his distant father, troubled mother, and a series of older men who both fascinate and confuse him. What makes this novel canonical is its refusal to sanitise the queer experience. The protagonist is neither a victim nor a hero but a complex, sometimes selfish young man trying to understand himself. White turns personal memory into something universally resonant. A Boy's Own Story remains one of the most influential coming-out novels ever written. 2. The Farewell Symphony (1997) An elegiac novel about gay life before and during the AIDS crisis. Named after Haydn's symphony (in which musicians leave the stage one by one until only silence remains), The Farewell Symphony is the final installment in White's autobiographical trilogy. It follows an unnamed narrator—a stand-in for White—through the sexual liberation of the 1970s and the devastation of AIDS in the 1980s and '90s. The novel is both a celebration and a eulogy, capturing the hedonistic freedom of pre-AIDS New York and Fire Island, where sex and art intertwined effortlessly. But as friends and lovers begin to die, the tone shifts to one of mourning and survivor's guilt. White's ability to balance humor, eroticism, and grief makes this one of his most powerful works—a definitive account of a generation lost. 3. My Lives (2005) A memoir structured thematically rather than chronologically, offering intimate glimpses into White's psyche. Instead of a linear life story, My Lives is divided into chapters such as 'My Shrinks,' 'My Hustlers,' and 'My Blonds,' each exploring a different facet of White's identity. The result is a kaleidoscopic self-portrait that is funny, self-deprecating, and unflinchingly honest. Highlights include his hilarious yet painful recollections of therapy (where psychiatrists tried to 'cure' his homosexuality), his complicated relationship with his abusive father, and his candid accounts of sexual escapades. What makes My Lives so compelling is White's refusal to conform to conventional memoir tropes. 4. Genet: A Biography (1993) A masterful biography of the infamous French writer and criminal-turned-literary-icon. White spent seven years researching Jean Genet, the gay outlaw whose novels (Our Lady of the Flowers, The Thief's Journal) glorified theft, betrayal, and queer desire. The biography is both a meticulous study of Genet's life and a meditation on the intersections of art, transgression, and politics. White's deep empathy for his subject shines through, particularly in passages about Genet's impoverished childhood and later activism for the Black Panthers and Palestinians. The book won critical acclaim and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, solidifying White's reputation as a formidable biographer. 5. The Joy of Gay Sex (1977, co-authored with Charles Silverstein) A sex manual that celebrated gay desire without shame. Written before the AIDS crisis, The Joy of Gay Sex was an affirming guide that treated homosexuality not as a pathology but as a source of pleasure and connection. Covering everything from cruising to BDSM, it combined practical advice with White's elegant prose, making it both useful and literary. Though some sections are dated (particularly in light of HIV), the book remains a fascinating artifact of a freer era. It was one of the first mainstream books to discuss gay sexuality openly, paving the way for future queer writers. 6. The Married Man (2000) A heartbreaking novel about love, mortality, and the lingering scars of AIDS. Loosely based on White's relationship with his partner Hubert Sorin (who died of AIDS in 1994), The Married Man follows Austin, an American writer in Paris, as he falls for Julien, a married French architect. Their romance is sadly shadowed by Julien's declining health. White's novel, unlike most AIDS narratives, is unsentimental yet deeply moving. He captures the small, everyday intimacies of love alongside the bureaucratic horrors of illness such as hospital visits, insurance battles, the slow erosion of a body. It is one of his most emotionally resonant works.
New Indian Express
3 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Edmund White, groundbreaking gay author, dies at 85
Childhood yearnings White was born in Cincinnati in 1940, but age at 7 moved with his mother to the Chicago area after his parents divorced. His father was a civil engineer 'who reigned in silence over dinner as he studied his paper.' His mother a psychologist 'given to rages or fits of weeping.' Trapped in 'the closed, sniveling, resentful world of childhood,' at times suicidal, White was at the same time a 'fierce little autodidact' who sought escape through the stories of others, whether Thomas Mann's 'Death in Venice' or a biography of the dancer Vaslav Nijinsky. 'As a young teenager I looked desperately for things to read that might excite me or assure me I wasn't the only one, that might confirm my identity I was unhappily piecing together,' he wrote in the essay 'Out of the Closet, On to the Bookshelf,' published in 1991. As he wrote in 'A Boy's Own Story,' he knew as a child that he was attracted to boys, but for years was convinced he must change — out of a desire to please his father (whom he otherwise despised) and a wish to be 'normal.' Even as he secretly wrote a 'coming out' novel while a teenager, he insisted on seeing a therapist and begged to be sent to boarding school. One of the funniest and saddest episodes from 'A Boy's Own Story' told of a brief crush he had on a teenage girl, ended by a polite and devastating note of rejection. 'For the next few months I grieved,' White writes. 'I would stay up all night crying and playing records and writing sonnets to Helen. What was I crying for?' He had a whirling, airborne imagination and New York and Paris had been in his dreams well before he lived in either place. After graduating from the University of Michigan, where he majored in Chinese, he moved to New York in the early 1960s and worked for years as a writer for Time-Life Books and an editor for The Saturday Review. He would interview Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote among others, and, for some assignments, was joined by photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Socially, he met Burroughs, Jasper Johns, Christopher Isherwood and John Ashbery. He remembered drinking espresso with an ambitious singer named Naomi Cohen, whom the world would soon know as 'Mama Cass' of the Mamas and Papas. He feuded with Kramer, Gore Vidal and Susan Sontag, an early supporter who withdrew a blurb for 'A Boy's Own Story' after he caricatured her in the novel 'Caracole.' 'In all my years of therapy I never got to the bottom of my impulse toward treachery, especially toward people who'd helped me and befriended me,' he later wrote.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
LeBron James showers high praise on Alex Caruso, calling him Oklahoma City Thunder's defensive X-factor ahead of NBA Finals
Image viaWith the 2025 NBA Finals tipping off Thursday night at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, all eyes are locked on the clash between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers, two teams hungry for their first championship. But while stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton dominate the headlines, LeBron James has singled out a different name as a potential game-changer. On the eve of the Finals, James delivered high praise for his former Lakers teammate, Alex Caruso, calling him the ultimate defensive Swiss Army knife, one that could tilt the series in OKC's favor. LeBron James highlights Alex Caruso's championship value During a Wednesday episode of the ' Mind the Game ' podcast, hosted alongside Steve Nash , LeBron James didn't mince words when breaking down Oklahoma City's playoff success. The four-time NBA champion took a moment to celebrate a player he believes embodies everything a championship team needs. 'Then they come off the bench with one of my favorite teammates of all time in Alex Caruso,' James said. When Nash chimed in with 'He's a DOG,' James quickly agreed and expanded on it. 'He's like the ultimate Swiss Army knife. We've seen him guard Giannis, the Joker, ANT, Julius Randle, Jamal Murray, all in this postseason,' James noted. 'You check the plus/minus after the game, and AC might have five points, three rebounds, two assists, and his plus/minus will be a god damn +17.' Alex Caruso , who joined the NBA as an undrafted rookie in 2016 and later won a title with James on the Lakers in 2020, has become a staple of OKC's defensive identity. That was clear in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, where LeBron broke down one of his favorite moments. Image via Nathaniel S. Butler/ Getty Images 'When I was watching the game yesterday,' James recalled, 'AC was guarding Anthony Edwards on the wing. Edwards got middle, something you try to prevent, but AC didn't stop. After the help defense rotated, he sprinted all the way to the corner to contest a three. That type of effort wins games.' Alex Caruso's elite defense and playoff hustle fuel Oklahoma City Thunder's Finals push The 31-year-old guard has carved his career out of hustle plays, anticipation, and grit. In 2024–25, he averaged 7.1 points over 54 games and earned his second consecutive All-Defensive Team honor. His playoff numbers, 8.8 points, 2.5 assists, 2.3 rebounds, might not leap off the page, but it's the impact behind those stats that matters. In a previous interview on The Old Man & the Three, Caruso credited LeBron and Rajon Rondo for shaping his defensive instincts. 'They're just so smart,' Caruso said. 'Watching them operate was like chess, they were two moves ahead.' As the Oklahoma City Thunder prepares to host Game 1, head coach Mark Daigneault will lean on Caruso to shadow top Pacers like Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam . According to LeBron, that's where the series could shift. 'With that kind of effort,' James said on the podcast, 'they're going to keep winning.' Also Read: 'I just played, that was my training': LeBron James reveals shocking truth about his early basketball days and how streetball forged his NBA legacy When LeBron James breaks down your hustle frame by frame on a podcast, calls you the 'ultimate Swiss Army knife,' and once coached you on the floor, you know you're doing something right. Alex Caruso may not light up the scoreboard. Still, with defensive IQ, relentless effort, and deep postseason experience, he could be the heartbeat of the Thunder's championship push. As the Finals tip off Thursday night in Oklahoma City, Caruso's presence might just be the X-factor that keeps OKC marching toward history.
