Harlem Rhapsody

Jessie brings her stepmother, Bella, whom she calls Maman, with her to Harlem. Maman is a white, Jewish integrationist. She married a different Black man before marrying Reverend Redmon Fauset, whose family goes back to the 1700s in Philadelphia. After marrying the reverend, she converted to Christianity. Maman has also nurtured Jessie’s love of books; Maman herself is a voracious reader and volunteers at the 135th Street library. Jessie and Maman argue about Will. Maman doesn’t approve of the affair and threatens to leave Harlem because of it. She refuses to be in the same room as Will. Eventually, Jessie admits that her stepmother was correct about Will, and Maman stays in Harlem until Jessie leaves. Maman is proud of Jessie’s work as a writer and supports her mentorship of young Black writers.

Mary-Helen is Jessie’s older sister. She is seven years older than Jessie and works as a teacher. Mary-Helen frequently visits Jessie and Maman. Like Maman, Mary-Helen condemns Jessie’s affair with Will. Mary-Helen is also critical of Jessie’s ambition to become full editor of The Crisis. Though Jessie eventually concedes that Mary-Helen was right about her relationship with Will, Jessie remains steadfast in her career ambitions. In reality, it was Mary-Helen and not Bella who moved to Harlem and lived with Fauset.

Will, as Jessie calls him, is 51 in 1919. He is a fictionalized version of the historical figure W. E. B. Du Bois, a leading Black intellectual leader, founder of The Crisis, and author of numerous books including The Souls of Black Folk. 

In the novel, Will holds a PhD from Harvard and has an “unspoken but unmistakable antagonism towards Negroes who lack a college education” (95). However, Will looks out for young Black men working in the service industries, such as James Du Bois (no relation) who works at the Whitelaw Hotel, and encourages them to get college degrees. Will works with the NAACP, co-organizes the Pan-African Congress, and lectures around the world. He also founded and edited The Crisis and The Brownies’ Book. Jessie’s role as the literary editor of these publications gives Will more time to spend on the road. He continues to add to her responsibilities at The Crisis but refuses to step down and allow her to become full editor. He claims that he is the one responsible for the success of The Crisis, but it is Jessie who puts in long hours working for the magazine.

At first, he was just a fatherly figure to Jessie, but their relationship eventually became sexual. Maman tells Jessie, “It is not uncommon for an older man to fill the many spaces left hollow by a father’s death. He became your emotional crutch” (308). Will explains his infidelity by saying that he’s “a different man. With different needs” than monogamous men (239). He also says that he loves social justice work more than he loves his wife. He maintains a romantic relationship with Georgia as well as Jessie. There are rumors that he has slept with other writers as well.

Will’s wife, Nina, appears in several scenes. She tells Jessie that she isn’t a writer but is proud of Will being one. She also tells Jessie that she knows about Will’s affairs. Will’s affair with Jessie concerns Nina the most because Jessie is a writer whom Will thinks of as his equal. Nina tries to get in touch with Will through Jessie when Will is ignoring her telegrams overseas. However, Nina is consistently kind to Jessie; Jessie’s family members are more upset about her affair with Will than Nina is, at least in front of Jessie.

Nella is married to Dr. Imes and works as a junior assistant at the 135th Street library. She was the second Black person to be hired there. Nella, and Maman, assist the head librarian, Ernestine Rose. Nella, based on the real-life author, works on her novel Quicksand with Jessie as her “writing partner” (97). She also begins writing her second novel, Passing. Jessie doesn’t tell Nella about her affair with Will, but Nella’s husband suspects it. Nella dislikes Will because of the rumors about his affair with Georgia and because he relies so heavily on Jessie to run the literary journals while refusing to promote her.

Georgia is Will’s other mistress in Harlem Rhapsody and thus Jessie’s foil. Georgia, like Jessie, is an accomplished poet; Georgia’s work is Jessie’s first selection as literary editor. Georgia is married to Henry Lincoln Johnson, who is a Republican political activist. He is suspicious of Will but doesn’t flat-out accuse them of having an affair. Later in the novel, Georgia and Jessie discuss Will and become friends. Georgia moves from admirable writer to romantic competition and then becomes part of the literary community that Jessie creates around her. Georgia is based on the real-life Georgia Douglas Johnson, a member of the Harlem Renaissance and author of the poetry collections The Heart of a Woman (1918), Bronze (1922), An Autumn Love Cycle (1928), and Share My World (1962).

Langston Hughes is a writer whom Jessie mentors. He is 17 in 1919, when the novel begins. At first, he and Jessie only communicate by mail. He first submits his high school graduation photo to The Brownies’ Book, which Jessie publishes. Then, she writes to him and asks him to send more work. The next three poems that he sends in are published in The Brownies’ Book. Then, he submits “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” (155), which Jessie publishes in The Crisis. When Langston meets Jessie in person, he brings along his mother, Carrie. Maman also befriends Langston. He frequently talks to Jessie about his struggles at Columbia. For instance, he has to live at the YMCA instead of the university dorms because he is Black. Much to Jessie’s dismay, he eventually leaves the university and gains a benefactor named Charlotte. However, he enjoys the life that her money affords him, including having the time to work on his novel Not Without Laughter. Hughes is based on the real-life poet and writer Langston Hughes—a leading member of the Harlem Renaissance and author of several books of poetry and prose, including The Big Sea.

Jean Toomer was a French student of Jessie’s at M Street High School. They meet again in New York when he is around 26 years old in 1921, and Jessie encourages him to submit his writing. He is hesitant because he doesn’t identify as Black, but Jessie assures him that she publishes work by white people as well as Black people. Jean explains his hesitation: “My father was the son of a woman who was enslaved and the man who was her enslaver. And on my mother’s side…both of her parents were of mixed race. I have far more white ancestry than Negro in my blood” (207). Jean identifies as an American writer and is excited to have Jessie edit his work. His novel Cane comes out before Jessie’s novel, but they end up sharing a publisher. His novel isn’t as successful as hers, but she loves his writing. Toomer is based on the real-life writer Jean Toomer, known for his novel Cane and many poems, including “Storm Ending.”

Countee Cullen is the son of Reverend Frederick Cullen, who is the president of the Harlem branch of the NAACP and preaches at the Salem Methodist Church. In 1920, Countee is 17 when Jessie meets him after a Sunday service. Countee is very shy at first, and for much of the novel, he “remains as soft-spoken and shy as the day [they] met. There is a single exception to his meekness. Whenever he speaks of his poetry, his eyes shine as bright as the sun at high noon” (107). By the end of the novel, however, he has gained confidence and sophistication. Countee wins Opportunity magazine’s literary contest, along with Langston. Countee is based on the real-life poet Countee Cullen, known for poems including “Incident” and “From the Dark Tower.”

Claude McKay co-edits The Liberator magazine, which is in competition with The Crisis. James brings Claude to Will’s anniversary party, and Jessie briefly speaks with him there. Later, they have lunch at the Civic Club, and Jessie notes that Claude is “an artist with words” (213), has a “royal bearing” (231), and suffers from “hubris” (234). His rivalry with Will stems from their disagreement over the purpose of art. Seeing Claude and Jessie together makes Will jealous, even though Jessie and Claude are only friends. Will is antagonistic toward Claude, forbidding Jessie to publish his work in The Crisis. Claude is based on the real-life Claude McKay, known for poems including “The Tropics in New York” and “The Harlem Dancer.”