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The Known World
Edward P. Jones, 2003
HarperCollins
416 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780061159176
Summary
Winner, 2004 Pulitzer Prize
The Known World tells the story of Henry Townsend, a black farmer and former slave who falls under the tutelage of William Robbins, the most powerful man in Manchester County, Virginia. Making certain he never circumvents the law, Townsend runs his affairs with unusual discipline.
But when death takes him unexpectedly, his widow, Caldonia, can't uphold the estate's order, and chaos ensues. Jones has woven a footnote of history into an epic that takes an unflinching look at slavery in all its moral complexities. (From the publisher.)