Literary Genius

“A  new book from Ta-Nehisi Coates is not merely a literary event. It’s a launch from Cape Canaveral.”

That’s quite an endorsement from The New York Times.

But Coates, the author of such best-selling nonfiction works as “The Beautiful Struggle,” “We Were Eight Years in Power” and “Between The World And Me,” has knocked it out of the park with his debut novel, “The Water Dancer.” 

And the National Book Award winner will be discussing the book – which delves into, among other topics, the emotional and psychological toll of slavery – during A Night With Ta-Nehisi Coates at the Arsht Center in Miami on Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m.  

“Ten years in the making and imbued with all the same craftsmanship that made his previous body of work essential reading, ‘The Water Dancer’ is a boldly imagined work of magic and adventure, love and separation, and the power of resistance. It is the story of America’s oldest struggle – the struggle to tell the truth,” notes the Arsht website.

Coates, who cultivated a large fan base as a correspondent covering cultural issues for The Atlantic, discussed his writing process with NPR.org: “I try to be as direct as I possibly can. I don’t attempt to make people uncomfortable; I think that my standards in terms of art and journalism always have necessitated my discomfort.”

Event tickets include a copy of the book, which is an Oprah’s Book Club selection. O

For more information, call 305-949-6722 or visit arshtcenter.org.