The House Behind the Cedars

The House Behind the Cedars
Charles W. Chesnutt
Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company,
The Riverside Press, 1900
Sam Fleming Southern Civilization Collection
Vanderbilt University Special Collections

Charles Waddell Chesnutt (1858-1932) was an American writer, political activist, and lawyer remembered best for his works of fiction that engage with racial and social identity issues in post-Civil War America. He was an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

The House Behind the Cedars is the first published novel by Chesnutt. The book touches on themes of passing, migration, urbanization, and interracial relations. It tells the story of Rena Walden, a multiracial woman living in the American South after the Civil War, who decides to pass as white after migrating to a new city at her brother’s request. Drama then ensues as her love interest, a white aristocrat, learns of her ancestry. 

The House Behind the Cedars was adapted to film in 1927 by Oscar Micheaux, who is regarded as the first major African American feature filmmaker.