New Books Network Brandon Taylor, "Minor Black Figures" (Riverhead, 2025)
Oct 16, 2025
Brandon Taylor, a talented novelist and the author of "Minor Black Figures," delves into the intricacies of Black representation in art and literature. He discusses his use of free indirect discourse to deepen character perspectives and connects online personas to narrative forms. Taylor highlights the importance of vulnerability in dialogue and critiques expectations surrounding Black art. He also reflects on the political significance of depicting ordinary Black life and the intersection of faith, desire, and intimacy in his characters' journeys.
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Voice That Shifts Between Intimate And Global
- Free indirect discourse lets the novel be intimate while occasionally speaking with a broader, ambiguous voice.
- Brandon Taylor likens it to online personas that are both first- and third-person.
Talking As Seduction
- Taylor models seduction as intellectual exchange, inspired by French 'walk-and-talk' cinema like Éric Rohmer.
- He sees heated conversations as a route to erotic and emotional intimacy between Wyeth and Keating.
Characters Need Historical Depth
- Characters must inherit intellectual histories; questions rarely arise de novo in meaningful fiction.
- Taylor criticizes recency bias and argues authors should embed historical and ideological contexts in character lives.
