Imperium in Imperio

by Sutton Elbert Griggs

A chilling tale of living dystopia in the Jim Crow era and a utopian shadow state that exposes the conflict between loyalty, morality and the forces of poverty, racism and supremacism.

Written in 1899, Grigg's moving, terrifying book describes the Jim Crow era life of a black man inhabiting a living dystopia. Belton Piedmont is from a poor background, he works hard to become educated but is subjected to the full range of discrimination and racism as he grows older. At the point where he has lost all hope he is introduced to the notion of a shadow state, 'Imperium in Imperio', a utopia where black people are treated equally and attempt to bring their values into the heart of government in Texas, altering his life forever. Grigg's unflinching narrative explores nationalism, civil disobedience, voter suppression, poverty and education, all still familiar themes today.

FLAME TREE 451 : From mystery to crime, supernatural to horror and myth, fantasy and science fiction, Flame Tree 451 offers a healthy diet of werewolves and robots, mad scientists, secret worlds, lost civilizations and escapist fantasies. Discover a storehouse of tales, ancient and modern gathered specifically for the reader of the fantastic. The Foundations titles also explore the roots of modern fiction and brings together neglected works which deserve a wider readership as part of a series of classic, essential books.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, African American, Historical Fiction, Race, Speculative Fiction, Novels

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1899

About the author

Sutton Elbert Griggs was an African-American author, Baptist minister, and social activist. He is best known for Imperium in Imperio, a utopian work that envisions a separate African-American state within the United States.

Reviews

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

With only a couple of exceptions, I've been very lucky in my pre-20th century reading choices this year, and I count myself beyond fortunate to have discovered this book, Imperium in Imperio, which was published in 1899. The author, Sutton E. Griggs was a Baptist pastor but very active in promoting and working toward civil rights and a goal of racial equality. Becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of change, Griggs took to writing to espouse his cause and Imperium in Imperio is his first novel. Four more would follow, but it was this first effort that eventually led to Griggs' reputation as a Black nationalist. And considering when this book was published, it has so much relevance to our modern world that it's time to bring this author out of obscurity and into the light.

What little I'm willing to divulge of plot can be found at my reading journal entry for this novel; the quick version is it takes a look at two very different African-American men from their early school years through their post-college careers and experiences, and how they were shaped by various forces in the white South.

While it's possible to read this just for story, this novel's brilliance is that it works under the surface on so many levels, providing much food for thought, as well as a large number of topics prompting me to further research for reading selections. While as one might imagine, a certain amount of melodrama comes into this story, it is such a great novel that it really deserves to be more widely read by anyone interested in American literature, in African-American literature, or in Black history. I think this is most certainly a milestone work, but while different, it's certainly not the first black political novel or the first novel advocating black nationalism as a number of people have claimed. There is an earlier, probably even more overlooked book called Blake: or; The Huts of America, written by Martin R. Delany in 1861/1862 that should also be appreciated for its author's understanding of "the realization of the intensity and persistence of white racism," and for the actions taken by the characters in that novel. I just never know which book I open is going to be that unknown, obscure hidden gem -- along with Blake's novel, I've found it in Imperium in Imperio. It is important, it is powerful, and it is beyond relevant in our own time.

highly recommended.

[The Artisan Geek]

2/7/20
Read this for the diverse classics book club and what a jarring novel it was!

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[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating novel about a fictional secret shadow government created by African-Americans to protect their interests in the late 19th century. It tells the story of two men who went to the same primary school, how their lives diverged, and their participation in the secret government. I would have given the novel five stars because of its discussions of the issues of the day (and unfortunately the issues of today), but the author's writing style was not quite up to the highest standards. For example, we hear nothing of the secret government until about 70% through the book (but the personal stories of the two protagonists are still interesting), the novel is interspersed with lengthy speeches (which are again interesting), there is a lot of "tell" instead of "show." But in spite of that, I found the book to be an easy read that held my attention and worth picking up.

[Georgie Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 but goodreads doesn’t do half stars 😒 anyway the concept of this book is actually so interesting and really engaging and easy to follow. i will say the pacing leaves something to be desired at times but honestly i appreciated that bc i notoriously get bored easily! really interesting for me rn bc ive been thinking about the idea of rebellion v revolution, who is/should be at the forefront of revolutionary black struggle, black liberalism and racial uplift politics… yada yada yada! really cool

[Seth Tisue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this might be a chore to get through, but it turned out to be fascinating and surprisingly readable, especially as the pace of the story accelerates towards the end. It’s downright clumsy most of the time as fiction, but I’ll go with four stars anyway for overall interest, it goes barreling right past its own shortcomings.

Thanks to ICA Philadelphia for putting out a stack of cheaply printed free copies out on the gallery floor at their “Colored People Time” exhibit.

[Avery Romriell]

antoinette sweetie i'm so sorry

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hundred years before T'Challa and N'Jadaka, there were Bernard and Belton. Such an interesting novel, with a great introduction by Cornel West.

[Ulyera · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s so much here worth thinking about, but I always tend to the more religious. Most likely my seminar paper will include this book in my discussions of Africana religions in juxtaposition with the colonizing effects of Christianity.

[Pascale · Rating 3 out of 5]

According to the introduction to this edition, this is "the first political novel by a black American", which is reason enough to read it. The first half recounts the childhood and formative years of 2 black boys, Belton Piedmont and Bernard Belgrave. While the former is raised by his mother and owes his education to various benefactors who see his promise, the latter, whose father is in fact a white senator has a much easier path and goes to Harvard. Belton becomes a teacher, Bernard goes into politics. The chapters describing their early years are the liveliest in the book and are followed by what seems more like an obligatory interlude than an integral part of the design. Belton marries the beautiful Antoinette, but abandons her when she gives birth to a seemingly white child (who will later nonetheless prove to be his son and not the product of adultery). Bernard courts the equally gorgeous Viola but this girl commits suicide because she knows Bernard to be a mulatto and is convinced that miscegenation is catastrophic for black people and leads to their extermination (!!!). Thus her principled suicide is a testament to her nationalism. Only then does the author come to the description of the Imperium in Imperio of the title, which is a shadow government formed by black people with a view to altering their circumstances and achieving freedom. While Belton is one of the prime movers of the organization, for some reason he hands over the presidency to Bernard. The group considers various options to reach their goal, mass emigration to the Congo and insurrection among them. Eventually Belton suggests that the Imperium should reveal its existence to the white people and give them 4 years to make them equal citizens, after which period they would seize Texas and run it as a distinct entity. Bernard counters with a more agressive proposal which would involve embedding spies in the US Navy, hiding weapons all along the Texas border and enlisting the help of foreign powers to intimidate the US. These allies would gain the territory of Louisiana as the price of their support with this secessionist project. Belton, who finds this method of achieving independence vile and treasonous, lets his comrades execute him. In a coda, a man named Berl Trout explains why he felt compelled to betray Bernard's plot to the US authorities in order to prevent massive bloodshed and a blow to civilisation. Unleavened by the humor characteristic of the initial chapters, the second half of the novel is more interesting but also more rhetorical and didactic. It's odd that Belton and Bernard are presented throughout as equally admirable guys, and yet in Trout's last statement Bernard becomes "a man to be feared" because "born of distinguished parents, reared in luxury, gratified as to every whim, successful in every undertaking, idolized by the people, proud, brilliant, aspiring, deeming nothing impossible of achievement". Nothing had really prepared me to see Bernard denounced as an incipient tyrant. Ultimately this is a very flawed novel of ideas but worth reading for an early discussion of various paths to get black people their dues.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review up soon.

[Jackson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps my frustration with this book is unfair. When reading the synopsis on the back cover, the reader is promised a story about an all-black, self-governing state operating within Waco, Texas in the Jim Crow South. Even more intriguingly, the book was first published in 1899 and has recently received a critical reappraisal for its influence on Black Nationalism and as an early, literary artifact of Afrofuturism.

However, a lot stands in the way of recommending this work.

For starters, everything about the premise that lures the reader's interest does not begin to happen until the final third of the novel. Consequentially, the reader must first plow through the first two-thirds before being greeted with what they signed up for.

Such a structural decision does not need to be a problem so long as the journey to our desired destination proves to be worth the ride. What this voyage largely consists of is the introduction to and development of our two lead characters, Benton and Bernard.

Griggs was criticized in his day for his prose and such criticisms were, unfortunately, well-founded. His often clumsy characterizations and frequent large jumps forward in time make developing an emotional attachment to the characters and the narrative a frequently taxing experience. This is especially true in scenes where each character falls in love and the reader only knows that they do because of what they're told and not what the writer evokes within them. While there are certainly many powerful moments and passages of dialogue throughout, they are only ever fleeting and usually overwhelmed by the tedium which surrounds them.

By the time the reader finally gets to the titular Imperium in Imperio, which, to be clear is without question the best part of the book, they won't be able to shake the feeling of disappointment. While everything they experience at this point in the narrative is certainly affecting, it should be more than that. The clashing of philosophies related to self-determination, liberation, and surviving American imperialism and racism deserves a more solid emotional spine. What should wow the reader simply pleases them.

However, any quibble I may have with Griggs the writer can never erase his work and what it meant to his contemporaries. If his Wikipedia page is anything to go by, his novels were very important to black readers of his day for, "provided[ing] a rare opportunity to read about the political and social issues that preoccupied them, including violence, racism, and the pursuit of political and economic justice."

I'm glad that I read this book. I just wish that I liked reading it, too.

[Etta Madden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few pages into Imperium in Imperio, I was sure I had made a bad choice for a utopian/dystopian literature class. I've known about this book by Sutton Elbert Griggs for many years now, but somehow only this year I made a way to read and include it in my teaching. Even my son read it before I did! I vividly recall a long walk we took where he tried to give me a plot summary. I remained confused.

Suffice it to say that the plot is as convoluted and contrived as those of many 19th-century novels (this one was published in 1899). However, once I accepted that aspect of Griggs's tale of two black men, Bernard and Belton, and settled into their journeys, my travel with them was ok, if not always comfortable for a white woman reader. Although the two were schooled together early in their lives in Virginia, they take different paths after graduation, and then--not a surprise--they later reunite.

However, Bernard and Belton's reuniting in a secret, separatist society in Waco, Texas, and their differing views of how to create utopia, surprised and engaged me. The text, as others have noted, is a fantastic one for opening conversations about racial and racist views during Reconstruction and utopian and dystopian possibilities. I'm glad I read it.

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Imperium in Imperio because I wanted to step outside my comfort zone, and I’m glad I pushed myself. This book was written in 1899, but reading it in 2025, I couldn’t stop thinking about how some of its questions still hang over us today. The last line hit me the hardest:

"When will all races and classes of men learn that men made in the image of God will not be the slaves of another image?"

Belton’s story was the part I connected to the most. Learning about his tough upbringing and seeing how resilient he was really stuck with me. I admired how he stood by his beliefs even when it cost him everything. Honestly, I wish I had that kind of strength sometimes.

Bernard was a different experience for me as a reader. His life was so different from Belton’s, and it really made me notice the kind of privilege that can exist even among people of the same race. I feel like that privilege gave Bernard the room to be bolder with his opinions and choices, which made the clash between the two men even more heartbreaking.

This wasn’t always an easy read but I walked away thinking about history, survival, and how these struggles still echo today. I closed the book feeling a little heavy, but also grateful that I gave myself the chance to experience it.

[Stevolende · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this shows its age.
It was written by a black author at the turn of the 20th century. It starts out great. I'm not sure about the end. & not sure I want to give spoilers.
I might look into what else this writer wrote and see if the writing quality and sentiment remain the same.
Possibly too kowtowing to the white establishment . But not sure what he could have got away with publishing at the time.
But this is pretty good up to a certain point. Might be something somebody would want to revisit now with a slightly different tilt.
I read it in a book of Black Sci-Fi Short stories published by Flame Tree Publishing last year (2021) which I got as an interlibrary loan when i was looking for a copy of Pauline Hopkins novel Of One Blood which is also included in full and is one of 4 early Black Sci fi novels included including this one. Seems like a good way of getting hold of these things so worth looking out for.
It has a lot of much more modern actual short stories plus a short story by W.E.B. Du Bois from the early 20th century.
I am glad i read this but i think I'd prefer a different ending. Won't say why. cos, like, spoilers

[Cherrelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imperium in Imperio was an eye-opening read for me in my African American Novel 1 class. This book is a powerful piece of historical fiction and a sharp critique of the political and racial dynamics during the Jim Crow era. What stood out to me the most was how the author, Sutton E. Griggs, uses his characters to explore the complexities of racial identity, Black empowerment, and the struggle against white supremacy. Specifically, he did well illustrating the hatred of the "Anglo Saxons" through the gruesome language (of the whites) and commentary. The novel's examination of the challenges faced by Black Americans in their pursuit of equality and freedom is compelling. It felt relevant to today’s ongoing conversations about racial justice, making it an essential read for anyone interested in understanding how the past continues to shape the present. Highly recommend it for anyone searching for a nuanced, historical perspective on race in America. With the current dismantling of DEI, history never changes.

[Stephanie Hartley · Rating 3 out of 5]

**3.5 stars**

This book published just before the turn of the 20th Century follows two boys, Belton and Bernard who are growing up in the South under Jim Crow laws. It follows the stories of their education for Belton as a young Black boy and Bernard as a mixed race boy. We ultimately see the pair collide again in adulthood to consider the idea of making Texas a state for only Black people as part of a shadow government consisting of Black men.

The book has a very intense plot that culminates in a very intense ending. It includes themes on racism, colorism, miscegenation, suicide, lynching, Black imperialism, segregation, and corrupt voting systems. This was one of few books written at the time with no white characters in and is said to be an early example of Afrofuturism and Black radicalist texts.

I think this is an important book to read, and is interesting to read with Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 'Herland', published just 16 years later and imagining a feminist utopia in which there is a land of only women.

[Loocuh Frayshure · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conceptually, this book is a 10/10–in 1899 to conceive of something like this is just totally sick. At one point, almost verbatim the stage is set for Malcolm X’s “ballot or the bullet” with near identical phrasing.

Unfortunately, Sutton E. Griggs isn’t a good novelist. ENDLESS telling, not showing. Major events happen in the span of a few paragraphs. Long, frilled sentences hit one after the other with no reserve and what feels like minimal variation. Really, dude only seems to use shorter sentences to end chapters.

This being only 177 pages (Modern Library edition) and the Imperium actually showing up around page 100 also means this is over before it can do much with it. Way too much time spent in the first half on Bernard and Belton’s youth.

I WILL give credit to the kissing game “I am in the well” scene though because if you yoinked that into any contemporary movie/show, it’d have ladies SWOONING. That was excellent. Were it only that way consistently.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is problematic as hell, arguing, at times, that Africa is a nation filled only with ignorance and that it was only through the genorosity of white benefactors that African Americans can now enjoy educated lives, and also victim blames people who have been lynched (I wish I was joking or exaggerating). The book is also one of the most sexist books I have ever read, as women are used as props throughout and described in sexualized ways that strip them of any agency or autonomy. However, the book has some incredibly thoughtful moments about race and ultimately is doing something interesting with rhetorical appeals in the way it uses Western logics to argue for black liberation/nationalism. The writing is really sub par at times and I can't recommend this novel as a piece of literature, however, it is interesting as a historical artifact.

[Jonathan Scheuer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This weird acid trip of a novel offers a view of African-American consciousness at the turn of the 20th century that differs markedly from those offered by W E B Dubois and James Weldon Johnson, and the slightly older Charles W. Chesnutt. Unlike these authors, Griggs was writing his self-published novels for an exclusively Black readership. While Dubois and Johnson were blunt about the barbarity of lynchings and the other mechanisms by which white supremacy was enforced in the post-reconstruction period (as was Ida B. Wells, who I have not yet read), the equally straightforward Griggs adds in some retributive fantasies that are thrilling to read. There is some hackneyed prose and much implausibility in this story, but...wow.

[Jada · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for my collegiate summer research. This book is interesting, and it certainly reflects the racial tension and oppression at the time. There's still a plethora of discussed topics that can relate to contemporary America, especially colorism. The book is, overall, a good read. While giving you a lot to examine academically, it's not an overly academic book and can be enjoyed as leisure. The only complaints I have about the book is (1) Belton's actions in the last couple chapters and (2) the lack of representation for the women in the book. They were used more as stepping stones and character development for the protagonists, Belton and Bernard, when they were just as interesting.

[Molly O'Leary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for my 19th Century African-American Literature class at Pitt. It was a very though-provoking novel that unpacks the issue of colorism in education. The two characters, both being black but one is lighter than the other, experience two different types of education, despite being in the same room. It got confusing at times, but the message was clear and the relationship between the boys was interesting.

[nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow wow wow. even in a busy time like finals, i found myself gripped by this book assigned in one of my classes. i finished it quickly, enjoying the majority of it. my analyses of this book are more striking and in-depth compared to other books i have read this semester because it has settled something in my stomach. who knew that a girl like me could find deep interest in a book surrounding government and states vs. federal right? recommend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Avery Driver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #1 for my African American Academic Novels Class

3.5 rounded up to 4!! The plot of this book is really fast paced and spans an entire life time. It gets kind of strange at times, but it’s really funny. The social commentary I think is the point of this novel and it has a lot of really important things to say. A fun read for sure!

[Panda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never heard of this book until I had to read it for a class. This is an amazing piece, skillfully written and breathtaking. Reading it made me think of Herman Merville's Benito Cereno. How both books do not fall in line with the readers expectations.......definitely worth the read!

[Sara Carvajal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows the story behind of two boys that end up being part of a shadow government. It's from 1899 but I feel like it's still relevant, it talks about racism, the lack of opportunities and the violence that black folk suffer. The writing style is very friendly also and it's a short book.

[Sydney Weaber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible book. I'm so glad it returned to print. There really isn't enough readership for this book, as it was nearly forgotten. Engaging, though-provoking, and the ending is surprising. Could not recommend it enough.

[Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really, really interesting political document and historical artifact. As prose fiction it's quite messy but it was so fascinating that I really enjoyed reading it. Plus the comedy and melodrama keep things moving.

[Isabel J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so bizarre and unique, not only for the literary marketplace at the time of its publication but in general. I don't know if I like it because it's "good" or just because it's weird, but it is a welcome thought provoker.

[Anneke Sears-stryker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the idea of this book and the questions it created, but was thoroughly put off by the author's evident misogyny, arrogance, and self-righteousness.

[Mya Matteo · Rating 4 out of 5]

for a book from the early 20th century, this was great, easy to read and follow and pretty exciting. But also-- the politics were kind of eh at the end.