Sonnets for a Missing Key: and some others

AUTHOR OF THE INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER, JAMES * AUTHOR OF ERASURE, now adapted for the screen as the OSCAR-WINNING FILM, AMERICAN FICTION * Percival Everett is diving back into poetry with his spellbinding new collection, SONNETS FOR A MISSING KEY


"One of the most profoundly talented writers of all time."-Robin Coste Lewis, winner of the National Book Award for Poetry * "VERDICT For enthusiasts of Percival's writing."-Library Journal * "Your favorite writer's writer."-Entertainment Weekly * "Percival Everett is poised for a big year."-The Wall Street Journal * Percival Everett puts cherry on top of novels with new book of sonnets."-Pasadena Star-News * "Wry and epigrammatic."-Publisher's Weekly * "A mesmerizing collection that transcends the boundaries of conventional poetry."-Amsterdam News


Inspired by the Preludes of Chopin and the piano solos of Art Tatum, these sonnets leap and turn through philosophical musings accrued across a life well lived, with inventive language, crystalline imagery, and turns of phrase that lift off the page and glimmer. Everett's sonnets soar through the musical scale, from A Minor to A Major, exploring relationships, spirituality, compassion, despair, and how the stories we tell ourselves shape our realities.


Everett continuously defies convention with every creative expression and brings his literary audacity back to his poetic roots with this, his sixth collection with Red Hen Press.


Sonnets for a Missing Key is a mesmerizing feat of language that reinforces Percival Everett as one of the great wordsmiths of the century.