Song of Solomon

by Toni Morrison

With her third novel, Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison began to win critical acclaim. “It’s been a hot year for Toni Morrison. Her novel, Song of Solomon, has been hailed in all the proper places. Her characters are being compared to those of William Faulkner, her writing to that of Nabokov, Joseph Heller, and Doris Lessing,” wrote Karen de Witt in the Washington Post on September 30, 1977.

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“The title of Song of Solomon comes from the Bible, a sacred text that suggests it is a story that appears larger than life. Like the myth and folklore that inform it about enslaved Africans who could fly, the narrative continuously takes twists and turns that challenge the reader’s expectations. The novel begins with her practice of starting in media res, which she does on purpose to unsettle the reader. She doesn’t want her reader to begin with so much comfort that she can’t teach them anything, so she begins with a scene of people looking up in the sky. Then, she weaves the town history and how people are related to that history into the narrative.” Read more...

The Best Toni Morrison Books

Marilyn Mobley, Literary Scholar