Dark Princess (The Oxford W. E. B. Du Bois)

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The problem of "the color line," a central theme for W.E.B. Du Bois, drives this novel of love, politics, and racial justice. Originally published in 1928, it is one of Du Bois's two novels and was later regarded by him as his favorite work. Set in 1920s America, the story presents a nation rife with racism, ripe for radical protest. The protagonist, Matthew Townes, a medical student, faces expulsion from a white hospital due to racial barriers. Disillusioned, he self-exiles to Berlin, where he falls in love with Princess Kautilya, daughter of a maharajah. Together, they lead an international coalition of people of color against white imperialism. Their passionate love is challenged by a world that seeks to separate them, culminating in the birth of their son, heralded as the Maharajah of Bwodpur and "Messenger and Messiah to all the Darker Worlds." The reviewer for the *New York Herald Tribune* noted that, despite the romance and stylistic embellishments, the novel contains significant sociological insights, offering valuable perspectives for readers seeking to understand the complexities of Black life and the struggles of the intellectual Black experience.