David Bradley ranks among the most sophisticated literary stylists of his generation. His two novels present subtle and original perspectives on issues that traditionally have concerned significant Afro-American writers: the meaning of community, the effects of racism, the shape and substance of history. His first book, South Street, went out of print soon after publication and has yet to receive the attention it merits. But his award-winning second novel, The Chaneysville Incident, has established Bradley's reputation among major contemporary authors.

Bradley is the only son of Mrs. Harriet M. Jackson Bradley and the late Rev. D. H. Bradley, Sr. Born and raised in Bedford, Pennsylvania (farm country near the Maryland border and on the edge of the Pennsylvania soft-coal region), he attended local public schools and graduated from the Bedford Area High School in June 1968. An outstanding student, Bradley received numerous academic honors both before and upon graduation...