The Man Who Lived Underground
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- Create Date：2021-04-21 12:32:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Richard Wright
- ISBN：1799949176
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Summary
A major literary event: an explosive， previously unpublished novel from the 1940s by the legendary author of Native Son and Black Boy。
Fred Daniels， a black man， is picked up randomly by the police after a brutal murder in a Chicago neighborhood and taken to the local precinct where he is tortured until he confesses to a crime he didn't commit。 After signing a confession， he escapes--or is permitted to escape--from the precinct and takes up residence in the sewers below the streets of Chicago。
This is the simple， horrible premise of Richard Wright's scorching novel， The Man Who Lived Underground， a masterpiece written in the same period as his landmark books Native Son （1940） and Black Boy （1945） that he was unable to publish in his lifetime。 Only small parts of it have appeared in print， and in a significantly redacted form it would eventually be included in the short story collection Eight Men （1961）。 Now， for the first time， this incendiary novel about race and violence in America， the work that meant more to Wright than any other （"I have never written anything in my life that stemmed more from sheer inspiration"）， is published in full， in the form that he intended。
Reviews
Tina
，
It’s the 1940’s。 A young Black man named Fred Daniels is arrested and accused of a double murder。 The police don’t care if he’s innocent。 From the moment they pick him up， he’s their guy。 No evidence needed。 He’s young， Black， and was in close proximity to where the crime took place。 That’s all they need。 The first few chapters are a all-too-real tale of racial injustice。 Written around 80 years ago， the opening of “The Man Who Lived Underground” should feel dated。 Unfortunately， it feels a lot It’s the 1940’s。 A young Black man named Fred Daniels is arrested and accused of a double murder。 The police don’t care if he’s innocent。 From the moment they pick him up， he’s their guy。 No evidence needed。 He’s young， Black， and was in close proximity to where the crime took place。 That’s all they need。 The first few chapters are a all-too-real tale of racial injustice。 Written around 80 years ago， the opening of “The Man Who Lived Underground” should feel dated。 Unfortunately， it feels a lot like a story ripped from the headlines today。Hours after being taken into custody， Fred is beaten down by the police and forced to sign a confession， admitting to the murders。 Knowing he’ll die for the crimes he didn’t commit， he seizes on an opportunity to escape and slips down a manhole into the sewer system beneath the city streets。 Once underground， he tunnels through brick and enters the basements of various businesses， observing people and taking the valuable objects he finds。 What held meaning above-ground becomes merely symbolic to Fred as he adjusts to a new world below。Read by itself， “The Man Who Lived Underground” can be viewed as an existential novel – a man shedding the culture and values of the above-ground world and gaining a new perspective of self。 However， when paired with Wright’s essay about his grandmother （included at the end）， the book clearly becomes an allegory for religion and the religious。 While the themes of racial injustice and inequality become more subtle and symbolic in nature after the first few chapters， they’re still present in the different basements he tunnels into。For me personally， “The Man Who Lived Underground” is a stark reminder of how little progress we’ve actually made against racial injustice and how far we need to go。 Written almost a century ago， it should be a sad， chilling reminder of our history， yet it’s still relatable。 Parts of this novel broke my heart while others angered me， but the story as a whole captivated me。 How could it not？ Richard Wright was a powerful writer， and his stories still carry powerful messages today。 Thank you to Library America for the gifted copy of this book。 。。。more
Sue
，
Yesterday I found myself so captivated by a Richard Wright book his 1940s publisher rejected that I completed it in one late-night sitting。 Library of America has worked with Wright’s estate to bring The Man Who Lived Underground， a long-lost novela， to timely public attention。 Publishers Weekly points out its relevance: “Wright makes the impact of racist policy palpable as the story builds to a gut-wrenching ending。 。 。 。 The nightmarish tale of racist terror resonates。”As the book opens， Fred Yesterday I found myself so captivated by a Richard Wright book his 1940s publisher rejected that I completed it in one late-night sitting。 Library of America has worked with Wright’s estate to bring The Man Who Lived Underground， a long-lost novela， to timely public attention。 Publishers Weekly points out its relevance: “Wright makes the impact of racist policy palpable as the story builds to a gut-wrenching ending。 。 。 。 The nightmarish tale of racist terror resonates。”As the book opens， Fred Daniels， a black man in his thirties， leaves his job at Mr。 and Mrs。 Wootens’ home to return to his pregnant wife due to give birth any day。 Before he reaches the bus stop， two officers confront him， demanding， “What are you doing out here？” Despite his efforts to persuade them to contact his white employers or the minister of the church where he teaches Sunday school and sings in the choir， they haul him to the station and savagely beat him until he falsely confesses to the robbery and brutal murder of the Wootens’ nextdoor neighbors。Later hauling Daniels to the crime scene to gauge his reaction， the officers decide to take him for a brief visit to his wife， reasoning that everyone will have to agree they have treated him well。 When they find his wife in labor， they drive her to the hospital。 Once there， Daniels manages to escape the distracted officers。 Hearing sirens， he lifts a manhole cover and flees underground。 Living in the sewer system， he does and witnesses things that change his mental outlook。 Gradually， he convinces himself he must return to the surface where he faces a strange and unpredictable second encounter with the police。 The tragi-comic conversation that ensues determines the ending。Today I completed the three supplementary essays。 Wright’s “Memories of My Grandmother，” contemporaneous with the novella， recalls the disengaged woman who raised him and influenced The Man Who Lived Underground。 Wright also ponders other factors—such as surrealism， blues and jazz， a magazine article， a personal experience， and the Prometheus myth—that influenced the book。 Grandson Malcolm Wright， a filmmaker and conservationist who grew up in Europe as a result of Wright’s eventual move to France， has written the “Afterword” in which he discusses his reaction to reading the typescript as a teen。 “My sixteen-year-old self，” he observes， “felt that in this story of Fred Daniels， Wright was telling us， his children and grandchildren， what he had left behind by leaving America。 What he had allowed us not to experience。” To the many influences his grandfather discusses in “Memories of My Grandmother，” the younger Wright adds Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave，” part of The Republic， which he knows to have been part of his grandfather’s library。 Finally， the publisher’s “Notes on the Texts，” sheds light on the possible reasons for rejection based on clues in the two original 1940s reader’s notes， the racial climate at the time， another novel that the publisher may have preferred to see follow Native Son， and the task of consulting several typescripts and working extensively with two to produce the published copy。Originally published only as a short story， Wright’s posthumous novella and the accompanying essays make a priceless contribution to his previously known work。Thanks to NetGalley and Library of America for the advance copy。 。。。more
Don
，
Releases 4/20/2021， I read an advanced copy。 Richard Wright （Native Son， Black Boy） submitted a draft of this novel to his publisher in 1941 and it was rejected for the content。 It was later published as a short story， the full manuscript was found by his daughter Julia at the Beinecke in 2010 and is now being published in full。 A young black man is picked up by the police and beaten， no， tortured， into confessing to killing two white people in a robbery - a crime he had not committed and the po Releases 4/20/2021， I read an advanced copy。 Richard Wright （Native Son， Black Boy） submitted a draft of this novel to his publisher in 1941 and it was rejected for the content。 It was later published as a short story， the full manuscript was found by his daughter Julia at the Beinecke in 2010 and is now being published in full。 A young black man is picked up by the police and beaten， no， tortured， into confessing to killing two white people in a robbery - a crime he had not committed and the police had just randomly picked him up simply for being black and proximity。 He escaped the police and begins a life underground in the sewers。 The first part is difficult to read and the second like reading a parable。 Wright’s writing is as wonderful today as it was when he wrote it decades ago。 。。。more
Monica
，
The Man Who Lived Underground is a previously unpublished novel by Richard Wright。 A version of the story was published as a short story， but no publisher would publish the full novel in Wright’s lifetime。 This book tells the story of handyman Fred Daniels， his arrest and forced confession to a double murder that he did not commit。 He escapes custody and hides underground in the sewers。 He is able to navigate the sewer system and gain entry to different locations via basements collecting things The Man Who Lived Underground is a previously unpublished novel by Richard Wright。 A version of the story was published as a short story， but no publisher would publish the full novel in Wright’s lifetime。 This book tells the story of handyman Fred Daniels， his arrest and forced confession to a double murder that he did not commit。 He escapes custody and hides underground in the sewers。 He is able to navigate the sewer system and gain entry to different locations via basements collecting things along the way that he surprising seems to attach no value to， although society might beg to differ。Wright writes with all 5 senses so be prepared to be transported by Fred’s experiences。 If you’ve read Native Son then you know what I mean。 Wright’s description of the torture Fred endured prior to unknowingly confessing to the murders is visceral。 In all honesty I had to take a break。 The story got a little slow for me in the middle once Fred made his way underground。 It is very cerebral with mostly just Fred’s thoughts pushing the story forward。 There are a series of events that seem so unrelated that I was struggling to figure out where it was going。 Trust Wright！ All of those seemingly disconnected events all come together in the end and make perfect sense。 They all play a role in Fred’s eventual fate。The Man Who Lived Underground is paired with an essay entitled “Memories of My Grandmother” which Wright uses to share how his grandmother inspired his story。 It was always Wright’s intention that these two pieces be published together。 It’s nice to see an author’s wishes be honored in this way。 。。。more
Never Without a Book
，
Wright is a literary genius。 I highly recommend this book。
Chris Roberts
，
Highly disturbedWe peel back our skinAt the edge of selfThe question:Are you racially challenged？ #poem Chris Roberts， Patron Saint of the Vanished People
Mandy
，
When The Man Who Lived Underground was turned down by his publisher in 1940， Richard Wright， perhaps best known today for his novel Native Son， put the manuscript to one side。 Shortly afterwards he reworked some of the themes into a short story， which was accepted for publication。 The full novel is now published for the first time， with a companion essay “Memories of my Grandmother” and an afterword from his grandson Malcolm Wright， which put the novel into context。 And what a novel it is， power When The Man Who Lived Underground was turned down by his publisher in 1940， Richard Wright， perhaps best known today for his novel Native Son， put the manuscript to one side。 Shortly afterwards he reworked some of the themes into a short story， which was accepted for publication。 The full novel is now published for the first time， with a companion essay “Memories of my Grandmother” and an afterword from his grandson Malcolm Wright， which put the novel into context。 And what a novel it is， powerful， moving， and with unavoidable modern resonances， which make reading it a visceral and disturbing experience。 It’s the story of Fred Daniels， who while walking home after work one day， is picked up by the police and accused of a double murder。 The police are determined to “solve” the case and randomly pick on Daniels as the culprit。 He manages to escape their custody， jumps into a manhole， and spends some time underground where his life takes on an almost surreal aspect。 As well as being an all too familiar indictment of police brutality towards black men both then and now， the book is also an intriguing allegory of black experience in general， often forced underground， or into the “lower depths”， unseen， but the allegory is never forced or didactic and can， in fact， be ignored， and the work taken as a realistic portrayal of a man on the run。 Morality， crime and guilt， racism， culpability and injustice are all explored in this relatively short text， and I found it a compelling read。 。。。more
Rebecca
，
From my BookRiot newsletter， “On April 20， some eighty years after it was first written， Library of America will release Richard Wright’s The Man Who Lived Underground， a previously unpublished novel about race and police violence by one of the most influential African American writers of the last century。”
Odessa
，
"And then a strange and new knowledge overwhelmed him: he was all people。 In some unutterable fashion he was all people and they were he; by the identity of their emotions they were one， and he was one with them。 And this was the oneness that linked man to man， in life or death。 Yet even with this knowledge， this identification with others， this obliteration of self， another knowledge swept through him too， banishing all fear and doubt and loss: he now knew too the inexpressible value and import "And then a strange and new knowledge overwhelmed him: he was all people。 In some unutterable fashion he was all people and they were he; by the identity of their emotions they were one， and he was one with them。 And this was the oneness that linked man to man， in life or death。 Yet even with this knowledge， this identification with others， this obliteration of self， another knowledge swept through him too， banishing all fear and doubt and loss: he now knew too the inexpressible value and importance of himself。。。He did not think these things; he felt them through images。" （106）"Outside of time and space， he looked down upon the earth and saw that each fleeting day was a day of dying， that men died slowly with each passing moment as much as they did in war， that human grief and sorrow were utterly insufficient to this vast， dreary spectacle。" （113）"This tendency of freely juxtaposing totally unrelated images and symbols and then tying them into some overall concept， mood， feeling is a trait of Black thinking and feeling that has always fascinated me。。。The ability to tie the many floating items of her environment together into one meaningful whole was the function of her religious attitude。" （176）"events that create fear or enchantment in a young mind are the ones whose impressions last longest; it may be that the neural paths of response made in the young form the streets， tracks， and roadways over which the vehicles of later experiences run。。。。。。。what is the eaffect of the story of Christ's death and agony upon the cross upon children of 5 or 6 years of age。 I've heard parents express horror at their children listening to crime stories on the radio; yet on Sunday mornings they never hesitate to sent them off to Sunday school to hear the most horrific story of all。" （180）"The cardinal joy in such writing stems from the feeling of freedom！ That， above all。 Here， in The Man Who Lived Underground， for the first time in my writing， I could burrow into places of American life where I'd never gone before， and link that life organically with my basic theme; and not only link it， but link it in a way that carried-to my mind and feelings-an unmistakable relationship。" （190）"breaking represents a point in life where the past falls away and the character must， in order to go on living， fling himself upon the face of the formless night and create a world， a new world， in which to live。" （192）"Tradition is a dream， and he who does not dream cannot feel his own past， and he who does not feel the past cannot feel the need for the future。 A dream is tense and tension is the prelude to action。" （194） 。。。more
Lulu
，
This story sucked me in and it did not let me go！ Simply put， it’s a masterpiece。 Thanks to @netgalley and @libraryofamerica for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion。
Raymond
，
Richard Wright’s books have a way of sticking with you long after you finish reading them。 This was true for me when I read Native Son in college and is also true after I recently read his unpublished novel The Man Who Lived Underground。 The novel tells the story of a Black man in his late 20s named Fred Daniels。 One day he gets picked up by the police and is accused of murder and armed robbery。 Fred tells the police he did not do it but they do not believe him。 The officers beat him continuousl Richard Wright’s books have a way of sticking with you long after you finish reading them。 This was true for me when I read Native Son in college and is also true after I recently read his unpublished novel The Man Who Lived Underground。 The novel tells the story of a Black man in his late 20s named Fred Daniels。 One day he gets picked up by the police and is accused of murder and armed robbery。 Fred tells the police he did not do it but they do not believe him。 The officers beat him continuously until he confesses to committing the crime。 At his first opportunity， Fred escapes from their custody and hides out in the city’s underground sewer system。 While he lives underground， Fred becomes a totally different person。 He does things he would not normally do， he becomes the thing that White society fears the most， a Black criminal。 But this side of Fred does not last for long， he gets sick of the underground。 He sees things he doesn’t want to see， the corruption of society and the system。 He feels convicted and wants to return aboveground to report what he saw and turn himself in， but doing so will cost him everything。The Man Who Lived Underground is a powerful book one that will resonate with modern readers even though it was written in the early 1940s。 I love Wright’s writing in this novel， he was so vivid in his descriptions especially his details of the underground world。 Wright use of alliteration and anaphoras was exceptional。This novel could be viewed as a philosophical book since Fred learns some hidden truths while living underground。 This notion is confirmed when the reader reads “Memories of My Grandmother” by Wright which is the companion essay to the novel。 Wright’s daughter stated that this novel could only be published if the essay was published alongside it。 In the essay， the author writes about all of the themes that inspired the novel including: his grandmother’s religious identity， invisibility， the Christ legend， the Negro problem， surrealism， jazz music， and the common theme of being falsely accused of something。 It’s a long essay but I think it will be a good supplement to read alongside the novel in English classes。 In my opinion most readers can go without reading the essay and let the novel stand for itself but I would only recommend it if the reader wants to get in the author’s head on the origins of novel。Thanks to NetGalley and Library of America for a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review。 This book will be released on April 20， 2021。Review first published here: https://medium。com/ballasts-for-the-m。。。 。。。more
Jean-Luc
，
Richard Wright's The man who lived underground is a harrowing book about racism， a nightmarish journey into the violent depths of discrimination。 It's the sad & painful story of Fred Daniel， a young African American man unjustly accused of a murder he didn't commit。 After being forced to sign a confession， he manages to flee and hide underground into the sewer system of the city。 At the core of this magnificent novel there is human resilience， the strength of the hunted man， the survival instinc Richard Wright's The man who lived underground is a harrowing book about racism， a nightmarish journey into the violent depths of discrimination。 It's the sad & painful story of Fred Daniel， a young African American man unjustly accused of a murder he didn't commit。 After being forced to sign a confession， he manages to flee and hide underground into the sewer system of the city。 At the core of this magnificent novel there is human resilience， the strength of the hunted man， the survival instinct of an innocent man。 Through his dismal adventures & brief encounters in the dark urban underworld， we witness first-hand how Fred grows， how he matures and how it comes to accept his fate during his hellish flight until his ultimate death。It was very difficult for me to walk away from this incredible masterpiece of African American fiction。 It shook me to the core and will probably haunt me for quite a long time。Many thanks to Netgalley and Library of America for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel prior to its release date 。。。more
J Earl
，
The Man Who Lived Underground by Richard Wright is the first publication of the novel that Wright had to cut down into a short story because his publishers would not publish it。 As such， this is an important work in rounding out his legacy as well as in understanding his goals in writing。Wright was not a writer of just one basic voice or style， so while this is different from some of his writing it is also very similar to other works。 Though I have read all of his work and lean toward his nonfic The Man Who Lived Underground by Richard Wright is the first publication of the novel that Wright had to cut down into a short story because his publishers would not publish it。 As such， this is an important work in rounding out his legacy as well as in understanding his goals in writing。Wright was not a writer of just one basic voice or style， so while this is different from some of his writing it is also very similar to other works。 Though I have read all of his work and lean toward his nonfiction as much as his fiction， I have only taught three of his books and a couple of his stories， and two of the books were nonfiction。 I find this book to fit very nicely within his early work。If you have read the short story of the same name， don't think that this is just a longer version of the same story。 This is the original version and the story is one that was chopped up， "compressed，" and even had the ending changed。 So no， this isn't simply the full "unedited" version， this is the complete version in idea and concept， which is quite different from the story。 I highly recommend this to readers of Wright as well as those interested in both Black writing in the United States and the history of publishing and how it has often avoided the uncomfortable works if that discomfort will be the white readers。 The essays （both his and his granddaughter's） are also insightful。Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley。 。。。more
DePaulBlueDemon
，
Richard Wright is my favorite author so when I saw that this book was forthcoming I knew I had to request a prepub edition。 Netgalley provided me a copy in exchange for a review。I read Wright's "Native Son" and was instantly enamored by his writing。 I've read all of his fiction and consider his lesser-known works such as "The Long Dream，" "Lawd Today！，" and "The Outsider" as near perfect novels。The Man Who Lived Underground was originally published as a short story and included in the "Eight Men Richard Wright is my favorite author so when I saw that this book was forthcoming I knew I had to request a prepub edition。 Netgalley provided me a copy in exchange for a review。I read Wright's "Native Son" and was instantly enamored by his writing。 I've read all of his fiction and consider his lesser-known works such as "The Long Dream，" "Lawd Today！，" and "The Outsider" as near perfect novels。The Man Who Lived Underground was originally published as a short story and included in the "Eight Men" anthology。 This is the full， unedited story published for the first time。It is very classically Wright in content， but the writing style is different。 I feel that it still feels unfinished， even though the afterward essay （also penned by Wright） deems it as complete。I still believe everyone should read this story， but it's not the same Wright that I know。 。。。more
Rick
，
The Man Who Lived Underground is a fictional novel of a man who escapes one world to live in another。 Fred Daniels is a decent family man who suffers through a false accusation， escapes， and then returns to a confusing world。 The Man Who Lived Underground was written by the renowned author Richard Wright。 Fred Daniels is coming home from work one night when he's pulled over by three policeman who accuse him of having murdered two people。 They beat him all night long and in the morning they to ta The Man Who Lived Underground is a fictional novel of a man who escapes one world to live in another。 Fred Daniels is a decent family man who suffers through a false accusation， escapes， and then returns to a confusing world。 The Man Who Lived Underground was written by the renowned author Richard Wright。 Fred Daniels is coming home from work one night when he's pulled over by three policeman who accuse him of having murdered two people。 They beat him all night long and in the morning they to take them to the house where a murder has taken place。 They take him home to see his wife。 During the visit his wife goes into labour so the police rush Fred and his wife to the hospital。 While in the hospital Fred manages to escape and he hides in a sewer。 While in the sewer and he is able to observe businesses around town by digging a hole into their basements and observing the people from his hiding place。 When he finally leaves the sewer and goes back to the police station he experiences a whole series of unexpected events。 The story is extremely well written。 Wright’s descriptions are so true to life that you feel as though you are experiencing the horrific the beatings。 His writing evokes strong emotions throughout。Although this book describes an era when lynching and beatings are widespread， the book is so much more than that。 It is not at all what you expect。 The story is an allegory which is totally beyond description in this review。 Fred Daniel's life underground becomes a major part of the story。 His return to life above ground is truly a surprise。 This book is meant for people who like truly different and surprising stories that make you think。 I give it a 4 on 5。 I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this novel。 I have provided this honest review voluntarily。 。。。more
Dave
，