The Emperor of Ocean Park

This article is about the 2002 novel. For the 2024 television adaptation, see The Emperor of Ocean Park (TV series).
The Emperor of Ocean Park
The top half of the cover is black and features the title in white text. The bottom is white and features the author's name in black text. In the center, two chess pawns are shown bottom-to-bottom. A black pawn is on top, and a white pawn in on bottom (upside down).
Original 2002 hardback front cover
AuthorStephen L. Carter
Audio read byRichard Allen[1]
LanguageEnglish
SeriesElm Harbor
GenreThriller, Mystery
PublisherKnopf
Publication date
June 2, 2002
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages657[2]
ISBN0224062840
Followed byNew England White 
WebsiteThe Emperor of Ocean Park

The Emperor of Ocean Park is a 2002 novel by American author and law professor Stephen L. Carter. It is the first part of Carter's Elm Harbor series; two more novels in the series were published in 2007 and 2008.[3][4] The book was Carter's first work of fiction, and spent 11 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list following its publication. Described as a murder mystery, the novel tells the story of Talcott Garland, a law professor who uncovers a mystery surrounding his father, the titular 'Emperor of Ocean Park'.[5] Written from Tal's first person perspective, the book explores themes of privileged black identity, politics, and law,[6] and contains many allusions to chess.[7]

Because a number of publishing houses were interested in obtaining the rights to the book, Carter received an exceptionally large advance of $4.2 million. The size of the advance, for a debut novel from an African-American writer, contributed to an important shift for African-American literature, with the book marketed and received as a mainstream work of fiction, rather than one aimed at a specialized audience.[8] The novel was well-reviewed by most critics, with attention being drawn to its then-unusual setting for a murder mystery story, featuring an African-American protagonist and with most of the story taking place in wealthy, predominantly African-American neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., and Martha's Vineyard.[2] It won the 2003 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and BCALA Literary Award,[9] and was nominated for several more, including the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Fiction and the New Blood Dagger from the Crime Writer's Association. An American television adaptation of the same name began broadcast on MGM+ in July 2024.[10][11]

  1. ^ "Listen to Emperor of Ocean Park". Audiobooks. July 2003. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Stein, Lorin (August 8, 2002). "Huffing Along". London Review of Books. 24 (15): 17–18. OCLC 5655695. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference pwnew was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference nytpalace was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Taylor, D. J. (June 1, 2002). "The loner in his labyrinth". The Guardian. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  6. ^ McWhorter, John (September 9, 2002). "The Arrangements". The New Republic. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  7. ^ "Newsnight Review (transcript)". BBC News. June 6, 2002. Archived from the original on June 17, 2004. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  8. ^ Ween, Lori (January 2003). "This Is Your Book: Marketing America to Itself". PMLA. 118 (1). Modern Language Association of America: 90–102. doi:10.1632/003081203X59856. ISSN 0030-8129. JSTOR 823202. S2CID 143548466.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference anisfield was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 22, 2024). "'Emperor Of Ocean Park': Keith Powers, Kelli Simpkins, Keith Kupferer & Deanna Reed-Foster Join Forest Whitaker MGM+ Series; First Trailer & Premiere Date Unveiled". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  11. ^ Tinubu, Aramide (July 14, 2024). "'Forest Whitaker's 'Emperor of Ocean Park' Is a Provocative Murder-Mystery, Once It Finds Its Footing: TV Review'". Variety. Retrieved August 15, 2024.