Andrew Levy
Andrew Levy is an Edna Cooper Chair in English at Butler University. He is the author of the critically acclaimed A Brain Wider Than the Sky, and the Slatten Award-winning biography, The First Emancipator. His work also includes: Huck Finn’s America (2014), The Culture and Commerce of the American Short Story (1992), Postmodern American Fiction: A Norton Anthology (1994), and he is co-editor of Creating Fiction (1994).
In addition, his essays have appeared in Harper’s, American Scholar, Missouri Review, and Best American Essays. Reviews and public appearances include: Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, Spin, Sports Illustrated, C-Span, Salon, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and National Public Radio: All Things Considered and This American Life. He also teaches American literature, culture, and creative writing
862: Andrew Levy: A role model for today: Robert Carter III freed more slaves than any other American
Regular readers of my blog know how important Robert Carter III has become to me as a role model. He inspires me. I believe this episode will inspire many of you.
If you don’t know who he is, you’re in luck. Here is a post of mine with links to many resources on him: Resources on Robert Carter III. Probably the top thing to know about him is that he is the American who freed the most number of slaves before the thirteenth amendment.
Actually, you’re in better luck because the first two resources in that post are by today’s guest, Andrew Levy. In this episode we talk about Carter, slavery, slave culture, changing culture, his relevance to today, his relevance to my work, and more. It was a pleasure to speak with the person most knowledgeable about him.
Andrew shares more than knowledge. For example, he’s thought about Carter and today. He asks why we don’t remember him more and what that burying says about us.
- The Anti-Jefferson: Why Robert Carter III Freed His Slaves (And Why We Couldn’t Care Less), by Andrew Levy: This piece was a journal article in the spring 2001 issue of The American Scholar.
- The First Emancipator: Slavery, Religion, and the Quiet Revolution of Robert Carter, Andrew Levy’s book
I can’t recommend these works enough for two reasons: First, Carter exhibits values and actions we can learn from. Second, Andrew covers the man from many angles, all useful. Plus his writing is engaging and readable.