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Triangular Road: A Memoir
In Triangular Road, famed novelist Paule Marshall tells the story of her years as a fledgling young writer in the 1960s. A memoir of self-discovery, it also offers an affectionate tribute to the inimitable Langston Hughes, who entered Marshall’s life during a crucial phase and introduced her to the world of European letters during a whirlwind tour of the continent funded by the State Department. In the course of her journeys to Europe, Barbados, and eventually Africa, Marshall comes to comprehend the historical enormity of the African diaspora, an understanding that fortifies her sense of purpose as a writer.
In this unflinchingly honest memoir, Paule Marshall offers an indelible portrait of a young black woman coming of age as a novelist in a literary world dominated by white men.
176 pages, Paperback
First published March 2, 2009
8 people are currently reading
422 people want to read
About the author
Paule Marshall
40 books185 followersPaule Marshall was an American writer, best known for her 1959 debut novel Brown Girl, Brownstones.
Marshall was educated at Brooklyn College (1953) and Hunter College (1955). She taught at Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of California, Berkeley, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and Yale University before holding the Helen Gould Sheppard Chair of Literature and Culture at New York University. In 1993 she received an honorary L.H.D. from Bates College. She was a MacArthur Fellow anda past winner of the Dos Passos Prize for Literature. In 2009, She received the Anisfield-Wolf Lifetime Achievement Award.
Marshall was educated at Brooklyn College (1953) and Hunter College (1955). She taught at Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of California, Berkeley, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and Yale University before holding the Helen Gould Sheppard Chair of Literature and Culture at New York University. In 1993 she received an honorary L.H.D. from Bates College. She was a MacArthur Fellow anda past winner of the Dos Passos Prize for Literature. In 2009, She received the Anisfield-Wolf Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
February 24, 2025
My Soul Has Grown Deep Like The Rivers
In his poem, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", the great African American poet Langston Hughes embodied black history with the words quoted in the title of this review. Langston Hughes, large bodies of water, and black history all figure prominently in this new eloquent memoir, "Triangular Road" by the African American novelist and short story writer, Paule Marshall (b. 1929). The recipient of both Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellowships, Marshall is best-known for her first novel "Brown Girl, Brownstone" and for a subsequent novel "Praisesong for the Widow." Her new book is based on a series of lectures that Marshall delivered at Harvard University in 2005 titled "Bodies of Water" that focused on the impact of rivers, seas, and oceans on black history and culture in the Americas.
Besides its broad depiction of African American history, Marshall's book tells her own story as a person and as a writer. The "Triangular Road" refers to three far-apart places that deeply influenced Marshall: Brooklyn, where she was born, Barbados, the birthplace of her mother and father, (and the Caribbean generally), and Africa. All three places receive personal characterizations from Marshall. These three places also capture Marshall's own view of herself. Near the end of her memoir, she writes:
"After all, my life as I saw it, was a thing divided in three: There was Brooklyn, U.S.A. and specifically the tight, little, ingrown immigrant world of Bajan Brooklyn that I had fled. Then, once I started writing, the Caribbean and its conga line of islands had been home off and on for any number of years. While all the time, lying in wait across the Atlantic, in a direct line almost with tiny wallflower Barbados, had been the Gulf of Guinea and the colossus of ancestral Africa, the greater portion of my tripartite self that I had yet to discover, yet to know."
Marshall describes a series of journeys over rivers, seas, and oceans that she took between 1965 and 1977. The journeys begin with a trip to Europe that she took under State Department auspices at the invitation of her mentor, Langston Hughes, whom Marshall describes as a "loving taskmaster, mentor, teacher, griot, literary sponsor, and treasured elder friend." Marshall offers an insightful portrayal of Hughes in his late years and a tribute to his importance as a friend and writer.
In a brief second section of the book, Marshall uses a Labor Day visit to a secluded spot along the James River in Richmond to meditate upon the long history of slavery, including the frequently fatal and always torturous ocean passages from Africa through the West Indies to colonial Virginia and the teeming slave markets in early Richmond. Marshall observes that "this particular holiday needs to be more inclusive in whom it acknowledges." Marshall is referring to the long and harsh history of slave labor in the United States which is frequently overlooked in thinking about labor during the American holiday of Labor Day.
In the lengthy third section of the book, Marshall describes her visit to Barbados, the home of her parents, and a subsequent visit to Granada. These visits serve as the source of further reflections on the role of the Caribbean Islands in the slave trade and of the life of immigrants, from the West Indies, such as Marshall's parents, in the United States. Marshall's father had been an illegal immigrant, and he abandoned his family in Brooklyn when Marshall was eleven years old. Marshall's mother tried to discourage her precocious daughter's intellectual and literary ambitions in favor of a job with the phone company. Marshall offers flashbacks of her early life and of her decision to become a writer. These descriptions have a strong feel of immediacy. Thus, Marshall describes how she first went to Barbados, with the encouragement of her editor, to shorten and revise the manuscript of what became her first novel. She learns that "writing is rewriting, is honing, pruning, refining, is becoming, essentially, one's own unsparing editor" On her trip to Grenada some years later, Marshall overcomes writer's block and learns how a novelist captures the heart of a historical experience through the use of the imagination and empathy rather than simply through a dry recitation of fact:: "Never let what really happened get in the way of the truth."
In the final section of the memoir, Marshall again crosses the ocean in 1977 for a trip to the Second World Festival of Black and African Arts held in Lagos, Nigeria in 1977. She meditates on the unity of black experience, for all its variety, and upon the need for a shared understanding and sense of forgiveness between Africans and black people living elsewhere for their respective historical roles in slavery. Marshall, at the age of 79, continues to write about her African experience with plans for further novels and stories to follow.
This is a beautiful intimately written short book which captures a great deal about a writer's life and about the "deep like the rivers" heart of a people.
Robin Friedman
In his poem, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", the great African American poet Langston Hughes embodied black history with the words quoted in the title of this review. Langston Hughes, large bodies of water, and black history all figure prominently in this new eloquent memoir, "Triangular Road" by the African American novelist and short story writer, Paule Marshall (b. 1929). The recipient of both Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellowships, Marshall is best-known for her first novel "Brown Girl, Brownstone" and for a subsequent novel "Praisesong for the Widow." Her new book is based on a series of lectures that Marshall delivered at Harvard University in 2005 titled "Bodies of Water" that focused on the impact of rivers, seas, and oceans on black history and culture in the Americas.
Besides its broad depiction of African American history, Marshall's book tells her own story as a person and as a writer. The "Triangular Road" refers to three far-apart places that deeply influenced Marshall: Brooklyn, where she was born, Barbados, the birthplace of her mother and father, (and the Caribbean generally), and Africa. All three places receive personal characterizations from Marshall. These three places also capture Marshall's own view of herself. Near the end of her memoir, she writes:
"After all, my life as I saw it, was a thing divided in three: There was Brooklyn, U.S.A. and specifically the tight, little, ingrown immigrant world of Bajan Brooklyn that I had fled. Then, once I started writing, the Caribbean and its conga line of islands had been home off and on for any number of years. While all the time, lying in wait across the Atlantic, in a direct line almost with tiny wallflower Barbados, had been the Gulf of Guinea and the colossus of ancestral Africa, the greater portion of my tripartite self that I had yet to discover, yet to know."
Marshall describes a series of journeys over rivers, seas, and oceans that she took between 1965 and 1977. The journeys begin with a trip to Europe that she took under State Department auspices at the invitation of her mentor, Langston Hughes, whom Marshall describes as a "loving taskmaster, mentor, teacher, griot, literary sponsor, and treasured elder friend." Marshall offers an insightful portrayal of Hughes in his late years and a tribute to his importance as a friend and writer.
In a brief second section of the book, Marshall uses a Labor Day visit to a secluded spot along the James River in Richmond to meditate upon the long history of slavery, including the frequently fatal and always torturous ocean passages from Africa through the West Indies to colonial Virginia and the teeming slave markets in early Richmond. Marshall observes that "this particular holiday needs to be more inclusive in whom it acknowledges." Marshall is referring to the long and harsh history of slave labor in the United States which is frequently overlooked in thinking about labor during the American holiday of Labor Day.
In the lengthy third section of the book, Marshall describes her visit to Barbados, the home of her parents, and a subsequent visit to Granada. These visits serve as the source of further reflections on the role of the Caribbean Islands in the slave trade and of the life of immigrants, from the West Indies, such as Marshall's parents, in the United States. Marshall's father had been an illegal immigrant, and he abandoned his family in Brooklyn when Marshall was eleven years old. Marshall's mother tried to discourage her precocious daughter's intellectual and literary ambitions in favor of a job with the phone company. Marshall offers flashbacks of her early life and of her decision to become a writer. These descriptions have a strong feel of immediacy. Thus, Marshall describes how she first went to Barbados, with the encouragement of her editor, to shorten and revise the manuscript of what became her first novel. She learns that "writing is rewriting, is honing, pruning, refining, is becoming, essentially, one's own unsparing editor" On her trip to Grenada some years later, Marshall overcomes writer's block and learns how a novelist captures the heart of a historical experience through the use of the imagination and empathy rather than simply through a dry recitation of fact:: "Never let what really happened get in the way of the truth."
In the final section of the memoir, Marshall again crosses the ocean in 1977 for a trip to the Second World Festival of Black and African Arts held in Lagos, Nigeria in 1977. She meditates on the unity of black experience, for all its variety, and upon the need for a shared understanding and sense of forgiveness between Africans and black people living elsewhere for their respective historical roles in slavery. Marshall, at the age of 79, continues to write about her African experience with plans for further novels and stories to follow.
This is a beautiful intimately written short book which captures a great deal about a writer's life and about the "deep like the rivers" heart of a people.
Robin Friedman
Read
September 18, 2025A warm hug from your favorite auntie.
That’s the best way I can describe Paule Marshall’s writing. A quiet humor that envelopes you in a whirlwind of compassion, a reminder to slow down, take a deep breath and enjoy the scenery.
This was delightful. One of the more unique memoirs i’ve read, and one that could double as a history lesson for the various places she journeyed. From Europe and Virginia to Barbados and Granada, Paule Marshall constantly reminds us how important knowing your history is.
I was surprised at how many important tidbits on The African American Diaspora I kept finding in this, from tales of Langston Hughes to talk of the “black million man march” in the early 20th Century.
And the Gems this had on writing were unmatched! Marshall’s maturation from a novice novelist to an under appreciated pioneer is shown so clearly that I almost believe I could become a writer now!
This felt like a love letter to those who helped shape the legend she became, and to the culture, the Black Struggle!
“My People. My People. Unprepared. Unrehearsed. Improvised. Disorganized.”
That’s the best way I can describe Paule Marshall’s writing. A quiet humor that envelopes you in a whirlwind of compassion, a reminder to slow down, take a deep breath and enjoy the scenery.
This was delightful. One of the more unique memoirs i’ve read, and one that could double as a history lesson for the various places she journeyed. From Europe and Virginia to Barbados and Granada, Paule Marshall constantly reminds us how important knowing your history is.
I was surprised at how many important tidbits on The African American Diaspora I kept finding in this, from tales of Langston Hughes to talk of the “black million man march” in the early 20th Century.
And the Gems this had on writing were unmatched! Marshall’s maturation from a novice novelist to an under appreciated pioneer is shown so clearly that I almost believe I could become a writer now!
This felt like a love letter to those who helped shape the legend she became, and to the culture, the Black Struggle!
“My People. My People. Unprepared. Unrehearsed. Improvised. Disorganized.”
November 1, 2015
Expertly written and absorbing in every way. I enjoyed the writing and the story, a memoir of a young writer's life and her affiliation with Langston Hughes, who helped her career along. Paule Marshall was an attractive, thoughtful-looking child and became a beautiful young woman with her sights set squarely on a writing career. She has collected a number of awards for her writing over her career.
Her family emigrated from Barbados, and I learned from and savored the parts where Marshall spent time there in order to write and visit her remaining family. It was a time before tall hotels hogged the best beaches and life was interesting and tranquil. She writes of Granada, where she also went to write, and of a visit to Carriacou, which found it's way into some of her later writings. Marshall haunted libraries and researched, so the information on early slavery is fascinating and sad. Her own family and other emigrants from Barbados who settled in New York formed close relationships fraught with all the variety most families experience, sometimes in humorous ways.
A refreshing read from an accomplished writer ahead of her time.
Her family emigrated from Barbados, and I learned from and savored the parts where Marshall spent time there in order to write and visit her remaining family. It was a time before tall hotels hogged the best beaches and life was interesting and tranquil. She writes of Granada, where she also went to write, and of a visit to Carriacou, which found it's way into some of her later writings. Marshall haunted libraries and researched, so the information on early slavery is fascinating and sad. Her own family and other emigrants from Barbados who settled in New York formed close relationships fraught with all the variety most families experience, sometimes in humorous ways.
A refreshing read from an accomplished writer ahead of her time.
December 29, 2012
Some of what Paule Marshall describes in her memoir, Triangular Road, was described in greater detail in her first book, Brown Girl Brownstone and both are good books. I especially enjoy Paule writing about her friendship with Langston Hughes, her mentor and promoter at the start of her writing career. Her descriptions of African American unrest in also very interesting.
August 31, 2015
Interesting ways to put together a memoir or a segment of a life that does look at USA, the Caribbean as well as Africa. We can see some of the sources of her novels, but the process of writing and particularly creating the space to write is very nice.
September 7, 2009
Very engaging. I read this while in Aruba. First time reading works by Ms. Marshall and I intend to read more.
June 13, 2010
Six Word Review: I absolutely live for writer memoirs.
August 6, 2016
While there were some very strong parts that interested me a great deal, this sparse memoir gave me all too few details about the subject. I didn't really have the opportunity to connect with her.
October 4, 2025
I really like Paule Marshall’s writing. This book helped me learn more about who she was as both a writer and traveler, and as a fellow explorer I really appreciated gaining that perspective. I also had no idea that she had Langston Hughes as a mentor, so that was pretty cool to learn.
Brown Girl, Brownstones is a masterpiece and a great intro to her talent. This is the second work I’ve read and I’m going to keep going!
Brown Girl, Brownstones is a masterpiece and a great intro to her talent. This is the second work I’ve read and I’m going to keep going!
June 1, 2009
All reviewers were highly interested in a memoir by Marshall, an author critically praised but not well known. While praising the book as a whole, they disagreed on the overall effectiveness of Marshall's technique. Some reviewers felt that structuring the book as a series of essays emphasized Marshall's focused prose and unique voice. Others argued that readers would have been better served by a more developed, chronological autobiography. But the message of most reviewers was that readers should get to know Marshall better, and all hoped that this brief glimpse into her life would be a means to that end.
This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.
September 14, 2019
An excellent memoir of Paule's literary journey. Filled with a lot of backstory and historical events of her time gives you a clear picture of what her life was like.
The events surrounding Langston Hughes and how he played a part in Paule's life were interesting.
Lots of references to how Paule used images and situations to create her further novels was inspiring. She also mentions how she had 'writers-block' which I found quite amazing, considering her work. It just goes to show that this happens to the best of us.
A great read! As a memoir, it goes to show that you can really expound on a slice of your life in a short, easy-to-read book.
The events surrounding Langston Hughes and how he played a part in Paule's life were interesting.
Lots of references to how Paule used images and situations to create her further novels was inspiring. She also mentions how she had 'writers-block' which I found quite amazing, considering her work. It just goes to show that this happens to the best of us.
A great read! As a memoir, it goes to show that you can really expound on a slice of your life in a short, easy-to-read book.
January 1, 2022
A small memoir comprised of reflections of different periods of her life, Triangular Road is a gift for fans of Paule Marshall. Included are a homage to Langston Hughes and their time spent on the US dept sponsored European tour, her parents arrival to the US, a trip to Richmond, VA, Grenada and much more. As a fan of Paule Marshall, this book completes so many of the stories she’s produced in her lifetime by singling that the main points of her life will always be her connection to Africa, the Caribbean and the US—- her triangular road.
May 12, 2009
Pretty familiar terrain for those who've read Marshall, but the clean, spare prose and genuine warmth are certainly to be appreciated. Something along the lines of a visit with a favorite aunt. Like Langston Hughes though, as she relates, I'm afraid that I too cannot come around to the silent "e" of her name and continue to refer to her as "Paul-e". Twenty plus years of habit are hard to change. And is it really Na-BAH-kov?
January 15, 2012
I enjoyed this memoir, especially the chapter on Richmond,VA. Marshall weaves in U.S. history as she tells her own story. I've ordered Brownstones, Brown Girl for the library, and am anxious to read it.
March 5, 2009
A great, spare memoir - but i have a feeling it's only useful for folks who have already read her novels, essays, and short stories.
Read
March 24, 2009Discuses the green flash at Grenada; opening homage to Langston Hughes
Read
August 19, 2009well written, very interesting, made me want to read her fiction
February 20, 2010
Essays/memoir on her experiences as an American-Barbadian writer. The first focuses on her experiences with Langston Hughes. Reading these fluid pieces makes me want to go back to her novels.
December 2, 2010
I randomly picked this up off a sale table at The Strand bookstore in New York City. It was a surprisingly good find.
January 23, 2013
Quite good and a lovely tribute to all the multitudes of slaves lost throughout history somewhere between the Caribbean and Africa.
August 14, 2013
For the fans of Paule Marshall, her observations of Brooklyn, the Caribbean immigrant experience, Langston Hughes, and much more are on target. And from Paule, beautifully written.
March 4, 2022
excited to read her first novel!
February 27, 2023
The cover intrigued me on this one and it was shorter so I figured it would be a nice palate cleanser for me right now. I had no prior knowledge of Paule Marshall or her works. I'm glad I picked it up if nothing else but to put some of her works (Brown Girl, Brownstones and Soul Clap Hands and Sing) on my TBR. As a memoir, it didn't really work for me personally. I learned more about things she had done rather than getting a sense of who she is. The writing was really simple; there wasn't a lot of emotional investment, which left me with not much memory of what I read after finishing. The synopsis is she had several all-expenses paid traveling experiences where she was also able to write or speak or attend conferences, etc. There were some family photos and letters to her written by Langston Hughes which were interesting. I will read her other works and consider them completely independently from this one.
“Writing fiction: a wonderfully conscious and unconscious act.”
“Writing fiction: a wonderfully conscious and unconscious act.”
July 1, 2023
My favorite essay was the first, about Marshall's mid-1960s Euro tour with Langston Hughes (what an elegant pair they must have been!). The other essays displayed her typically lovely, dignified writing and her wide diasporic perspective, yet I missed a clear self-identification of privilege. It seems the stars really aligned for Marshall as her hard work elevated her from working class to bourgeoisie, and I wanted more self-awareness of this.
June 28, 2024
Folks from the West Indies tend to have such an astute analysis of chattel slavery. Paule Marshall was one of these folks. This was easy to read and the Langston Hughes intro chapter was an enthralling way to start. The form of this book is everything. Compared to her fiction the writing is lacking in flowery poeticism—and I’m cool with it!! Learned a lot of history. Can’t wait to read more of her work.
July 18, 2023
Beautiful prose about this writer's life, though not so much a memoir. I love learning the history of place names, Grenada, Barbados and her sojourn with Mr. Hughes in Europe is amazing. This is a nice book for writers because she talks about some of her techniques and dealing with the block, as well as financing. She left this reader wanting to hear about her travels throughout Africa; and perhaps it was too soon to write this, at least as a memoir, when she did. I am very much looking forward to reading her novels, beginning with Brown Girl, Brownstone.
August 20, 2018
2 2/3 stars
April 4, 2019
As an intro to Paule Marshall’s extraordinary voice, you cannot do better than this short gem of autobiography.
April 22, 2020
An interesting narrative for the ideas about diaspora that I'm discussing in my current class, but otherwise this fell short of being a really engaging memoir for me.
May 4, 2020
Not worth the price of the book. No way a memoir.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews