New York Times reviewer John Vernon describes Edward P. Jones’ ’72 new novel, The Known World, as “an achievement of epic scope and architectural construction, which nonetheless reads like a string of folk tales told by someone slyly watching for your reaction — tales told by a conjurer who distracts you so well that you never know what hit you.”
Based on historical facts, Jones’ first novel tells the story of a former slave in antebellum Virginia who, upon gaining his freedom, purchases slaves to work for him.
Jones, who majored in English while at Holy Cross, won the PEN/Hemingway Award and was a finalist for the National Book Award for his debut collection of short stories, Lost in the City.