.gif)
John Henry (novel)
Encyclopedia
John Henry is a 1931 novel
by Roark Bradford
and illustrated by woodcut
artist J. J. Lankes
, based on the African-American folk hero of the same name
. It was made into a Broadway
play and later a musical featuring Paul Robeson
in the title role and Ruby Elzy
as Julie Anne.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Roark Bradford
Roark Bradford
Roark Whitney Wickliffe Bradford was an American short story writer and novelist.-Life:...
and illustrated by woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
artist J. J. Lankes
J. J. Lankes
Julius John Lankes was an illustrator, a woodcut print artist, author, and college professor.-Early life and education:Lankes was born on August 31, 1884 in Buffalo, New York to parents of German heritage. His father worked in a lumber mill and brought home small scraps of wood...
, based on the African-American folk hero of the same name
John Henry (folklore)
John Henry is an American folk hero and tall tale. Henry worked as a "steel-driver"—a man tasked with hammering and chiseling rock in the construction of tunnels for railroad tracks. In the legend, John Henry's prowess as a steel-driver was measured in a race against a steam powered hammer,...
. It was made into a Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
play and later a musical featuring Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
in the title role and Ruby Elzy
Ruby Elzy
Ruby Elzy , was a pioneer African American operatic soprano.-Early life:Elzy was born in Pontotoc, Mississippi and educated at Rust College, the Ohio State University and the Juilliard School,...
as Julie Anne.