Carl Van Vechten and the Harlem Renaissance: A Portrait in Black and White

Bernard's landmark study of Carl Van Vechten is by no means a complete portrait; rather, it is "a chronicle of one of his lives, his black life." Van Vechten was a "white man with a passion for blackness," who helped to facilitate the cultural regeneration of Harlem in the 1920s%E2%80%94what we know now as the Harlem Renaissance, but what was referred to then as the New Negro Renaissance. Van Vechten's social standing broke down barriers for African-American artists and writers%E2%80%94such as Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston%E2%80%94despite the contested integrity of his actions (he was often criticized for whitening the artistic output of "the black mecca"). In an attempt to "celebrate Harlem" (and perhaps himself), Van Vechten%E2%80%94ever the exhibitionist%E2%80%94penned the obviously controversial 1926 novel Nigger Heaven, using the shocking title to draw attention to the book and the vibrant portion of uptown Manhattan that he loved, and to proclaim his insider-status amongst African-Americans. While Bernard examines these ambitious pursuits thoroughly and incisively, there is no pretense of crafting a definitive answer as to whether Van Vechten helped or hindered the lives of those that he influenced; Bernard confesses to merely stoking the fires of discussion and remembrance, telling a rich and dramatic story that explores the "complicated tangle of black and white," as well as the proclivities of a provocative and inarguably significant player in one of America's most creative movements. (Feb.)