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Mr. Sebastian and the . . . Magician
Friday, August 10, 2007
As you might imagine, there was not a little discussion about the title of this book. Discussion with the wife, the agent, the editor, and friends. Not the best way to title it, necessarily, but the culturally appropriate way to title it. There were a few people who believed that the word 'negro' was offensive. I didn't believe it was. I argued that, since the book takes place in early to mid-twentieth century, 'negro,' while clearly anachronistic, was appropriate for the time. So MSATNM it was.
That being said, I did expect someone to say something about it. I thought I'd get a few angry posts here, maybe a paragraph about it in the course of a review, a question about it at a reading . . . but there was nothing. At all. Apparently no one has really cared one way or the other. I'm surprised -- happily surprised, because the idea wasn't to offend, but to create interest, and maybe that's what it's done.
There are a number of ways the title is perfect for this book, and some of them aren't clear until you read it. So read it.
posted by Daniel Wallace at 3:53 PM
4 Comments:
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When I first heard about the book it didn't even schock me. But the first thing that came to my mind was "well this is going to get a lot of flack." I, like you, was surprised when I read nothing about the title. I read some things on john august's blog where people commented saying it was a "horrible title" and people discussing it a little bit... but that was it. I'm glad no one is questioning it. It stays true to the time period and it is not intended to be offensive in any way or form.
Note from the author: coincidentally, a friend of a friend called last night and told me he knew of someone who was reading the book on the bus and began to feel uncomfortable . . . so he removed the dust jacket. This may or may not be a good thing.
Well at least you know it's a powerful novel. If it can put someone in an uncomfortable position but keep them reading at the same time you've created something great.
No complaints now that I've read it, but I did raise an eyebrow when I saw the title. It wasn't so much the word "Negro" than its pairing with "magician," which can conjure up the image of the magical Negro. I sort of dreaded the depiction of Henry Walker to come, but you managed to dodge my negative expectation.