Praise for Minor Black Figures
“One of the most perfect books I’ve ever read.” —NPR
"Taylor’s most accomplished novel — a sustained, idiosyncratic portrait of an artist."—The New York Times Book Review
“A meditative, illuminating portrait of friendship and competition, belief systems and the connections between us all.”—People
“Brandon Taylor is a literary superstar … Taylor’s third novel [is] a smart and soulful exploration set in the world of art (both contemporary and historical). The book deftly explores race and sexuality, religion and community, and the way love can change a life.”—The Boston Globe
"There is a reason every new Brandon Taylor book is a major literary occasion. . . Taylor tackles politics, love, religion, and the New York City art world with a depth of complication that still feels incisive. . .[He] forges perhaps the most compelling story of life under the weight of opinion and perception that I've read."—The Chicago Review of Books
“Taylor is one of the most emotionally perceptive fiction writers working today, and his third novel, set in the New York art world, is his best.” —Los Angeles Times
“While considering the place of Blackness in an art world entranced by the white gaze, Brandon Taylor’s Minor Black Figures simultaneously paints a compelling portrait of a deeply intelligent and inquisitive artist.” —Electric Lit
“Dazzling. . . a poetic meditation on Black art, friendship, young love and intimacy.”—USA Today
“A sharp, resonant novel about a young Black gay painter adrift in New York who spends one life-changing summer grappling with questions of faith, desire, and creative purpose.”—Bustle
“Brandon Taylor is always a must-read, and his newest, Minor Black Figures, is another masterpiece… It’s a moving, thoughtful take on friendship, love, and art.”—Town & Country
“What I most enjoyed while reading this book was the sense of connection and quietude in my mind as I read. Everything was deliberate, crafted with great care, and infused with life.”— The Chicago Tribune
"A brilliant and bold study of racial conflict within art, the white gaze and the Black body, and the messy, traumatic ways people sacrifice for art and life.”—Library Journal, STARRED review
“Mesmerizingly detailed. . .this novel of ideas about art, selfhood, and faith is also a romance, a friendship story, and an enjoyable slice of one hazy Manhattan summer.”—Booklist, STARRED review
“Contemplative and sensuous [with]… the shape of a romance… Taylor is onto something rich and appealing—a story unafraid to foreground love and lust, and that treats emotional ambiguity as a starting point, not as the fuzzy ending common in literary fiction. A piercing, precise, and affecting tale of young love and high art.”—Kirkus, STARRED review
"Brandon Taylor is without a doubt our laureate of hyper-intelligent yearning—nobody does it better.”—LitHub
"There's much to admire in this portrait of an artist in flux."—Publishers Weekly
