Alice Dunbar Nelson
The Goodness of St. Rocque and Other Stories (1899) is a short story collection by Alice Dunbar Nelson. Dedicated to her husband at the time, the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, The Goodness of St. Rocque and Other Stories is a collection of brief vignettes of Creole society in nineteenth century New Orleans. Exploring themes of prejudice, faith, and romance, Dunbar Nelson crafts a poignant and unforgettable work of fiction. Manuela is a popular young woman of status in New Orleans’ thriving Creole community. Like many women her age, she hopes to marry a handsome and successful man. Setting her sights on Theophile, she prepares to be courted in the traditional manner of her people. When rumor gets out that he has been spending time with Claralie, a beautiful blonde, Manuela is forced to seek supernatural assistance. She visits a seer known as the Wizened One, who advises her to pray at the altar of St. Rocque. Determined and unwilling to give up what she believes will be her destiny, she makes her way to the church to begin her first novena. The Goodness of St. Rocque and Other Stories collects fourteen stories of life in New Orleans’ Creole community by Alice Dunbar Nelson, a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance.Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book. With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.
