As the literary award season approaches, it’s time to revisit the novel that may well have changed Queer Lit forever. With The Prophets, Robert Jones Jr. shattered three assumptions about Queer Literature. The first and most obvious of these is the assumption that Queer Lit doesn’t sell. As you probably know by now, The Prophets was an instant bestseller when it was published in January. Not yet in paperback, it’s still selling briskly.
The second assumption Mr. 
Jones fearlessly shattered was that Queer Lit can’t reference The Bible. It can be argued that for at least one hundred years, the most influential book in American Literature was The Bible–for the simple reason that it was the only book that was in most homes. Middle class families might have owned the complete works of William Shakespeare and the rich could afford entire libraries, but for most Americans the only book they ever possessed was the King James version of The Bible. While its influence may have waned in the twentieth century, The Bible still cast a long shadow–with America’s most famous writer, Ernest Hemingway, gleaning his best title from it.
In Dancer from the Dance, Andrew Holleran subtly wove a Christ figure archetype into the narrative, but aside from that, Queer fiction–for whatever reasons–has shied away from Biblical images and references. Not so, The Prophets. The Prophets is steeped in The Bible and saturated with religious imagery. Indeed, Mr. Jones presents us with his own Bible. Like The Bible, The Prophets changes points of view repeatedly. The story is told in the first person, the third person and even the second person. When the narration is omniscient it still has a chatty–almost gossipy feel. Mr. Jones reverses the golden rule of writing by showing little and telling much. And this is entirely appropriate, because this is a book of stories told and retold over the generations long before it was written down.
Which brings us to the third assumption Mr. Jones has shattered. Namely, that queer fiction must be erotic. His decision to tell this queer love story as an oral history precludes explicit descriptions of sex or, for that matter, anything that is beautiful on this plantation. There is a moment when one of the main characters on his way to a hideous punishment refuses to allow himself a glimpse of beauty. Because, quite simply, it’s a fraud. In a Spielberg movie, a Southern plantation’s beauty might be seen and celebrated, but this book’s plantation–appropriately named Empty–is devoid of soul. It’s only by the telling–and retelling– of these stories that true beauty can, at long last, be seen.
In the coming months the literary establishments will announce their awards. For now, one thing is certain, The Prophets has changed Queer Lit forever.
Robert Jones Jr.’s The Prophets is published by G.P. Putman’s.
11/10/2021