John Henry: Roark Bradford's Novel and Play

by Roark Bradford, Steven C. Tracy (Editor)

Roark Bradford's 1931 novel and 1939 play dealing with the legendary folk-hero John Henry (both titled John Henry ) were extremely influential in their own time, but have since then been nearly forgotten. Steven C. Tracy has united these hard-to-find works in a single critical edition that helps contextualize-and revive-both texts. An expansive introduction explores Bradford's life; recounts critical responses to his works; and surveys John Henry's pervasive influence in folk, literary, and popular culture. The volume also features a wide array of supplementary materials including a selected bibliography and discography, transcriptions of folksong texts and recordings available during the 1930s, and a chronology of the lives of both Bradford and Henry. As Tracy's introduction makes clear, such a consideration of Bradford--set in the context of writers, both black and white, drawing upon African American folklore and using dialects along with stereotypical and non-stereotypical
portrayals--is long overdue. This new edition is a windfall for scholars and students of folklore and African American literature.

220 pages, Paperback

First published May 26, 2011

About the author

Roark Whitney Wickliffe Bradford (1896-1948) was an American short story witer and novelist. His work appeared in Collier's, Harper's, and Virginia Quarterly Review. He was the recipient of the 1927 O. Henry Award.

He attended University of California, Berkeley, and served as a first lieutenant in the Coast Artillery during World War I.

First wife Lydia Sehorn, divorcing her in 1933. He then married Mary Rose Sciarra Himler - also a writer and former editor for Bobbs-Merrill. He served as night city editor for the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Bradford continued to produce well-received work during the 1930s and early 1940s. He served in the U.S. Naval Reserve Bureau of Aeronautics Training during World War II.

In 1946, he accepted a position as visiting lecturer in the English department at Tulane University in New Orleans.

On November 13, 1948, he died of amebic dysentery, believed to have been contracted while he was stationed in French West Africa in 1943. His cremated remains were spread over the waters of the Mississippi River.

At the time of his death, Bradford’s writings were very popular. Since the 1940s, however, much of his body of work has been reevaluated. Many criticize his work as patronizing and demeaning in its portrayal of black characters.

Marc Connelly adapted Ol' Man Adam and his Chillun for the stage as The Green Pastures, which won a Pulitzer Prize. His stage adaption of John Henry appeared in New York in 1940.