Dark Princess

Matthew Townes, aspiring obstetrician, has hit the glass ceiling. Unable to continue his medical studies in New York City, the young man becomes disillusioned with the reality of racism within the United States and heads for Germany. Arriving in Berlin, Matthew immediately recognizes all that he’s lost, not just the harsh prejudices of American society but also his America-Black America-and begins to feel a sense of lonesomeness. Not so long after, he meets the purple haired princess Kautilya and fully enters into the unknown future that lies ahead.

Departing from the realm of nonfiction and sociology, W. E. B. Du Bois set forth to produce a romance novel. The end result, Dark Princess, would be published in 1928 to incredibly mixed reviews with some critics lauding the ideas within the book and others slamming the aesthetics of the text. Despite this mixed feedback, the novel would cement it’s place in the heart of Du Bois and become his favorite published work.

With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of W. E. B. Du Bois’ Dark Princess is a classic of Black literature reimagined for modern readers.