A compelling exploration of race in modern America

A deeply compelling collection

John Edgar Wideman: the weight of subordination is everywhere to be felt in these short stories Pic: Getty

Short stories: American Histories, By John Edgar Wideman, Canongate, €18.40

The past is inescapable for John Edgar Wideman. American Histories, his latest collection of part-fictional, part-autobiographical short stories, opens with a frankly worded letter to an unnamed president. “I send this note along with some stories I’ve written,” reads the message, “and hope you will find time in your demanding schedule to read both note and stories. The stories should speak for themselves. ...