Written By: Matthew Hirsch
Random House
“The Prophets” is a tale of love, perseverance, and bold defiance between two men in the face of American slavery, written by Brooklyn College alum Robert Jones Jr.
The book became an instant New York Times bestseller, receiving high praise from critics and readers alike. On Feb. 18, Jones returned to BC virtually to read from his novel and share his experiences while writing through the lens of a history not written about before.
“One of the things that I encountered when I was writing the book were people who were saying, ‘But there were no Black Queer people then.’ And that caused me to look in the canon to see if I could find any examples of it,” said Jones. “Because what we tend to do is say, ‘That could not have existed because we did not give it language,’ as though queerness popped up the moment we said, ‘That’s queer.’ When in actuality, queerness has been a part of the human landscape for as long as there have been human beings.”
Although the book takes place in the time of slavery, Jones’ themes play out in today’s world, with a spotlight on systemic racism, police brutality, and the Black Lives Matter movement, Jones took note of how dehumanization against Black people perpetuates while writing his novel. Though names like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor may be etched into our memories now, “The Prophets” poses the question, “What about the names of the countless slaves who were brutalized and never thought of again?”
“The more things change, the more they stay the same,” said Jones. “We are no longer being whipped by plantation owners and overseers, but we are being killed in broad daylight, on camera, by police officers who do so without remorse.”
“The Prophets” doesn’t shy away from the horrors of slavery in the deep south. As an honest depiction of the cruelties slaves faced, it has its fair share of triggering moments that can be difficult to read. The excerpt that Jones read came from a chapter called “Babel,” where he depicts a torturous punishment inflicted on the main characters and lovers Isaiah and Samuel.
It wasn’t only the difficult subject matter that was challenging for Jones to write about, but also creating and humanizing a character named Paul, the plantation and slave owner.
“As a writer, I cannot hate any of the characters I’m writing about. I had to afford humanity to even Paul,” said Jones. “So I had to sympathize with him, and that was really hard because I am a Black person, and I don’t want to sympathize with people who tortured my ancestors.”
Jones’ novel has turned heads left and right. It’s a testament to his dedication and talent as a novelist. Currently, Jones is looking to move the story of “The Prophets” from a novel onto either the big screen or the small screen as a limited television series. With the future in mind and his identities firmly intact, Jones is far from resting on his laurels.
“Right before I sold ‘The Prophets’ to my publisher, I was working on a second novel that I got about 40 pages into. I am not at all afraid to be pigeonholed as the Black, Queer writer. I wear both of those identities with pride,” said Jones. “And I know that all of my novels will be from the perspective of the Black, Queer lens.”
As the conference wound to a close, attendees were offered a peek into the life of Jones as he went through his creative writing process. He threw himself wholeheartedly at his project, writing at every opportunity he was afforded. From typing away during commutes in packed New York City buses and trains to waking up at three o’clock in the morning so he could write in silence and serenity. Jones put everything he had into “The Prophets.”
Like he has proven with his novel, Jones unabashedly shines a light on the darkest parts of American culture. As the country moves forward to combat systemic racism and the barriers that minorities face every day, Jones offered his own ideas as to how not only Brooklyn College, but universities all over the world could progress with the times, and provide an equal platform to all.
“Brooklyn College, like the rest of the country, has to reckon with its past behavior, and its present behavior in a way that is honest,” said Jones. “All American institutions, all institutions in the world, have to be able to confront the main problems and then be willing to do the work, to resolve them, in a way that is not disingenuous and not superficial, that is actually structural.”