Infants of the Spring

Published to mixed reception, Wallace Thurman’s Infants of the Spring is a controversial take on the realities of Black life in the shadow of a cultural boom. “‘...you’re right. I was frightened. After all I had never seen a Negro before in my life, that is, not over two or three, and they were only dim, passing shadows with no immediate reality. New York itself was alarming enough, but when I emerged from the subway at 135th Street, I was actually panic stricken. It was the most eerie experience I have ever had. I felt alien, creepy, conspicuous, ashamed. I wanted to camouflage my white skin, and assume some protective coloration.” At times disillusioned by the cultural boom that was the Harlem Renaissance, Wallace Thurman formed a small group, “The Niggerati,” built up of artists and intellectuals who often clashed with the ideals of the movement. Dedicated to showing Black life as it was rather than as it should be, he produced his second novel, Infants of the Spring, a deconstruction and satire of the time when the Negro was in vogue. Professionally typeset with a beautifully designed cover, this edition of Infants of Spring is a sensational reimagining of a Harlem Renaissance satire for the modern reader.