ably aware of his faults--extreme privacy of reference, frequent ex-
perimental failure, and racist dogma, to name only a few. Neverthe-
less, we are also mindful of his merits--daring and frequently success-
ful verbal approximations of jazz music, vibrant recreation of black
speech, and a consummate portrayal of the black middle-class
psyche. In spite of some obvious short-comings, Baraka, in the brief
span of ten years, presented us with work of considerable promise. It
is at least this writer's hope that the artist's increasingly myopic vis-
ion does not confirm the once-premature contention that "it is now
necessary to inter him as a writer, young and kicking." However, at
this point in his career, Baraka seems to be doing everything in his
power to prove that grim prophecy sagacious.

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