Hue and Cry: Stories

The classic debut collection from Pulitzer Prize winner James Alan McPherson

Hue and Cry is the remarkably mature and agile debut story collection from James Alan McPherson, one of America’s most venerated and most original writers. McPherson’s characters -- gritty, authentic, and pristinely rendered -- give voice to unheard struggles along the dividing lines of race and poverty in subtle, fluid prose that bears no trace of sentimentality, agenda, or apology.

First published in 1968, this collection includes the Atlantic Prize-winning story “Gold Coast” (selected by John Updike for the collection Best American Short Stories of the Century). Now with a new preface by Edward P. Jones, Hue and Cry introduced America to McPherson’s unforgettable, enduring vision, and distinctive artistry.

“A writer of insight, sympathy, and humor and one of the most gifted young Americans I’ve had the privilege to read.” - Ralph Ellison

“An astute realist who knows how to turn the conflicts between individual personalities and the surrounding culture into artful and highly serious comedies of manners.” - Newsweek