Black Thunder

'Gabriel Prosser's 1800 slave revolt allowed Bontemps to warn of the rebellion that would come of poverty and racial oppression. This metaphor of revolution is at the same time a highly pertinent representation of black masculinity that will reward students of gender, slavery and the sensibilities of the 1930s.'

-Nell Irvin Painter'Gabriel Prosser's 1800 slave revolt allowed Bontemps to warn of the rebellion that would come of poverty and racial oppression. This metaphor of revolution is at the same time a highly pertinent representation of black masculinity that will reward students of gender, slavery and the sensibilities of the 1930s.' -Nell Irvin PainterArna Bontemps (1902-1973) was a prominent contributor to the Harlem Renaissance. A poet and writer, Bontemps taught at the Harlem Academy and later became the head librarian at Fisk University, where he created the Langston Hughes Renaissance Collection. His published works include Black Thunder, Gabriel’s Revolt: Virginia 1800; Great Slave Narratives; and Drums at Dusk: A Novel.