Cover: Standard Ebooks edition cover · CC0 public domain dedication · source
The Souls of Black Folk
W. E. B. Du Bois · 1868–1963
Fourteen essays on life behind 'the veil' and the 'double consciousness' of seeing oneself through the eyes of others — and a prophecy that the problem of the twentieth century would be the colour line. Each chapter opens with a bar of the sorrow songs. Essential reading on consciousness, identity and the mind under pressure.
- First published
- 1903
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Reading time
- About 5 hours
- Translation
- Written in English
Reading time: 69,179 words in Project Gutenberg text #408, read at 238 words per minute.
Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co., 1903.
- double consciousness
- the veil
- education
- dignity
- the sorrow songs
Where to read it
- Read free — Standard EbooksPublic domain text, carefully proofread and produced. · checked 11 Oct 2026(opens in a new tab)
- Read free — Project GutenbergPublic domain in the USA; check your local law outside it. · checked 11 Oct 2026(opens in a new tab)
Copyright
- Kenya
- Public domain (author d. 1963)
- United States
- Public domain
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Questions for discussion
What is 'double consciousness', and does it describe anything in post-colonial Kenyan life?
Du Bois argues with Booker T. Washington about education and work. Whose case is stronger today?
Why do you think he set music at the head of every chapter?
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