The Sport of the Gods

The Sport of the Gods (1902) is a novel by African American author Paul Laurence Dunbar. Published while Dunbar was at the height of his career as one of the nation’s leading black writers, The Sport of the Gods examines the lives of poor African Americans who, despite being freed from slavery, struggle to establish themselves in the cities of the North.

Berry Hamilton, a black man freed from slavery following the American Civil War, has moved north with his wife and two children. In an unfamiliar city, he manages to find a job as a butler for the wealthy white Oakley family, and enjoys a short commute from a small cottage to his daily work at the Oakley residence. One day, during a dinner held on the eve of Francis Oakley’s departure, the family discovers that money has disappeared from the household safe. Accused of the crime, Maurice is found guilty and imprisoned for a decade of hard labor, leaving his wife Fannie and their boy and girl to fend for themselves. Evicted from their cottage, Fannie moves to New York, where Joe, her son, finds work and begins to frequent a local club. There, he enters a turbulent relationship with Hattie Sterling, an entertainer, which soon threatens to shake the family’s newfound stability.

With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s The Sport of the Gods is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.