Bowdoin’s Chakkalakal Earns Praise for Charles Chesnutt Biography from New York Times

"In the first biography of Chesnutt in a generation, [Chakkalakal] provides a sophisticated analysis of Chesnutt's short stories, … essays, letters and novels, while contextualizing their creation within Chesnutt's life," writes NYT's Kerri Greenidge.

"Chakkalakal asks the reader to see the 'First Negro Novelist' as he saw himself: a writer and student of American letters at a time when the literary marketplace struggled to take him seriously."

According to Greenidge, "Tess Chakkalakal's 'A Matter of Complexion' makes an urgent case for the importance of Black artistry during racially reactive and violent times." Read more.

A Matter of Complexion was also included in the New York Times Editor's Choice "Seven New Books We Recommend This Week " on February 13.

This semester Chakkalakal is teaching Black Biography (AFR 1300/ENGL 1300) and American Literature II (AFR 2506/ENGL 2506).