Description

Book Synopsis

On its surface, I Am Elijah Thrush is the story of Millicent De Frayne and her sensational half century campaign to win the love of Elijah Thrush. Elijah, after ruining the lives of countless men and women, is finally in love “incorrectly, if not indecently,” with his great-grandson, Bird of Heaven. To support an unusual habit, a young Black man, Albert Peggs, reluctantly agrees to tell their remarkable story. It is in this telling the ambitions, desires, and true natures of Elijah, Millicent, and Albert come to light. With a delicately controlled balance of whimsy and pathos, James Purdy gives us this comedy of the heroic, the tragic, and the truly bizarre.
Met with critical bewilderment upon its initial publication fifty years ago, this new edition offers a foreword by Robert J. Corber illuminating Purdy’s “complicated allegory” of objectification, desire, and race in the immediate post-Civil Rights moment.

I Am Elijah Thrush

    Product form

    £11.39

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £11.99 – you save £0.60 (5%)

    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Fri 14 Aug 2026.

    A Paperback / softback by James Purdy, Robert J. Corber

    Out of stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of I Am Elijah Thrush by James Purdy

      Publisher: Fordham University Press
      Publication Date: Publication Date: 04/10/2022
      ISBN13: 9781531501198, 978-1531501198
      ISBN10: 1531501192

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      On its surface, I Am Elijah Thrush is the story of Millicent De Frayne and her sensational half century campaign to win the love of Elijah Thrush. Elijah, after ruining the lives of countless men and women, is finally in love “incorrectly, if not indecently,” with his great-grandson, Bird of Heaven. To support an unusual habit, a young Black man, Albert Peggs, reluctantly agrees to tell their remarkable story. It is in this telling the ambitions, desires, and true natures of Elijah, Millicent, and Albert come to light. With a delicately controlled balance of whimsy and pathos, James Purdy gives us this comedy of the heroic, the tragic, and the truly bizarre.
      Met with critical bewilderment upon its initial publication fifty years ago, this new edition offers a foreword by Robert J. Corber illuminating Purdy’s “complicated allegory” of objectification, desire, and race in the immediate post-Civil Rights moment.

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account