My Life of Absurdity

In this the second volume of his autobiography, Chester Himes deals with moving to Paris in the early 1950s, where he developed from an eloquent, influential "black writer" into a writer who was internationally known. Himes takes us to the heart of Paris expatriate cafe society and through the writing of his eighteen books and novels. He also paints fascinating glimpses of lowers, three continents, and friends such as Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, and James Baldwin. My Life of Absurdity is the story of a life only Himes could have lived -- just on the edge of reality, about three steps short of fantasy, and three generations out of slavery.