Summary: Publisher Summary 1 This exploration of Zora Neale Hurston's life and work draws on a wealth of newly discovered information and manuscripts that bring new dimensions of her writing to light.   Publisher Summary 2 "Croft has done a skillful job chronicling and organizing the life and works of an extraordinary writer. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and graduate students." "Plant...adds new dimension to the body of biographical literature already published, earnestly portraying Hurston's vitality and spirituality, characteristics that enabled her to achieve innumerable accomplishments...An inspiring read, recommended for all libraries." Zora Neale Hurston is best known for the landmark novel. Their Eyes Were Watching God, which recently returned to the bestseller list in the wake of an acclaimed television adaptation. But no understanding of Hurston is complete without considering all the forms of her work---including her extraordinary contributions as a folklorist---in light of the treasure trove of newly discovered information, texts, and film footage. "The Inside Light": New Critical Essays on Zora Neale Hurston caps a decade of resurgent popularity and critical interest in Hurston to offer the most insightful critical analysis of her work to date. Encompassing all of Hurston's writings---fiction, folklore manuscripts, drama, and correspondence---it fully reaffirms the legacy of this phenomenal writer, whom The Color Purple's Alice Walker called "A Genius of the South." "The Inside Light" offers 20 critical essays covering the breadth of Hurston's writing, including her poetry, which up to now has received little attention. Essays throughout are informed by revealing new research, previously unseen manuscripts, and even film clips of Hurston. The book also focuses on aspects of Hurston's life and work that remain controversial, including her stance on desegregation, her relationships with Charlotte Mason, Langston Hughes, and Richard Wright, and the veracity of her autobiography, Dust Tracks on a Road.   Publisher Summary 3 In this collection of 20 essays, new and established Hurston scholars simultaneously celebrate Hurston's life and achievements, and question her motivations and choices. Drawing on recently discovered manuscripts and film clips of Hurston, they consider not only her fiction, but also her plays and dramatics works, poetry, correspondence, and her contribution as a folklorist. Also discussed are aspects of her life and work that are still controversial, such as her stance on desegregation, her relationships with other African American literary giants of the period, and the veracity of her autobiography. Subjects include Hurston and the Hollywood studio narrative culture during her time, and the recent made-for-television movie of Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. Plant is chair of the Department of African American Studies at the University of South Florida. Annotation 漏2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)