''The Last Days of Louisiana Red'' (1974) is a novel written by

Ishmael Reed Ishmael Scott Reed (born February 22, 1938) is an American poet, novelist, essayist, songwriter, composer, playwright, editor and publisher known for his satirical works challenging American political culture. Perhaps his best-known work is '' M ...

. It is considered a model novel of the

Black Arts Movement The Black Arts Movement (BAM) was an African American-led art movement that was active during the 1960s and 1970s. Through activism and art, BAM created new cultural institutions and conveyed a message of black pride. The movement expanded from ...

and contains many elements of

postmodernism Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of modern ...

. It continues the story of the character Papa LaBas introduced in Reed's previous novel, 1972's '' Mumbo Jumbo''. The book revolves heavily around voodoo. According to ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'', "Reed's hoodoo/mojo/gris gris/Mumbo Jumbo has a wickedly funny vitality that undermines white European ideology."

Plot summary

''The Last Days of Louisiana Red'', which has been described as a "HooDoo detective story and a comprehensive satire on the explosive politics of the '60s", set amidst the racial violence of

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

."Ishmael Reed"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. The story follows investigator Papa LaBas as he tries to figure out who murdered Ed Yellings, the proprietor of the Solid Gumbo Works. In the story, Labas finds himself fighting the rising tide of violence propagated by Louisiana Red and the militant opportunists, the Moochers. Eventually, Labas learns that the murder has been a conspiracy to dethrone the Gumbo business because Ed was trying to create medicine that would stop heroin addiction.

Characters

*Ed Yellings - the proprietor of the Business known as Solid Gumbo Works. He is murdered early in the novel, and his Business is passed on to his son, Wolf. *Wolf - one of the two sons of Ed Yellings. *Sister - one of the daughters of Ed Yellings. *Minnie - the youngest daughter of Ed Yellings, she leads a society known as the Moochers. *Papa Labas - a sort of detective character who tries to figure out the mystery behind Ed Yellings' murder. *Nanny Lisa - a nanny who lives at the home of Ed Yellings and takes care of the children. She forms a very special bond with Minnie.

References

External links

* Author maintained web sit

1974 American novels African-American novels American satirical novels Fiction about Louisiana Voodoo Novels by Ishmael Reed Novels set in the 1960s Novels set in the San Francisco Bay Area Random House books {{1970s-novel-stub