Bern Book: A Record of a Voyage of the Mind

By Vincent O. Carter

Book Overview

The Bern Book is a travelogue, a memoir, a "diary of an isolated soul" (Darryl Pinckney), and a meditation on the myth and reality of race in midcentury Europe and America. In 1953, having left the US and settled in Bern, Switzerland, Vincent O. Carter, a struggling writer, set about composing a "record of a voyage of the mind." The voyage begins with Carter's furiously good-humored description of how, every time he leaves the house, he must face the possibility of being asked "the hated question" (namely, Why did you, a black man born in America, come to Bern?). It continues with stories of travel, war, financial struggle, the pleasure of walking, the pain of self-loathing, and, through it all, various experiments in what Carter calls "lacerating subjective sociology." Now this long-neglected volume is back in print for the first time since 1973.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1628973854
• ISBN13: 9781628973853
• Release Date: May 2022
• Publisher: Dalkey Archive Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Vincent, I miss you!

You moved from Kansas to Berne, Switzerland many dekades ago. I moved from Berne, Switzerland, to the US because of my marriage with an Estonia born American. I always loved to be with you, Vincent, but it took me such a long time to upgrade my poor School English until I was able to read your wonderful Berne Book! I finally did it and my mind went back to my beloved old Berne guided by your funny, sad and thoughtful memories!You passed way too early for all of us who knew and loved you, "the first black man Berne ever saw". Now I am joining your spiritual way , we actually all do. Love you, Vince, be blessed!And we look forward to your new book that will be published 30 years after you wrote it...