Toni Morrison was a multi-faceted writer whose work extended far beyond her well-known novels, and with the publication of “Recitatif” on February 1, readers around the world will have the opportunity to dive into her only short story as its published in book form, per the Associated Press. 

“Recitatif” chronicles the lives of young women Twyla and Roberta as they navigate from their childhood at an orphanage through contrasting fortunes as adults. It was first published in Amiri Baraka and his wife Amina’s collection “Confirmation: An Anthology of African American Women” in 1983. 

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The story’s title is the French term for recitative, which Brittanica defines as a type of musical declamation that stresses and imitates spoken language rhythms and accents rather than melody or musical motives. 

The story’s audio edition is read by actress Bahni Turpin and includes an introduction by Zadie Smith. 

“One of the main takeaways from it [‘Recitatif’] is that you’ll begin to think of her as someone who experimented with form,” said Princeton University professor Autumn M. Womack, per AP. “You’ll get away from the idea that she was solely a novelist and think of her as someone who was trying all kinds of writing.” 

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In her introduction, Smith compares “Recitatif” to a puzzle or a game in her introduction, per AP, but warns that “Toni Morrison does not play.” The story references topics including hair length and socioeconomic status, with Womack noting it incorporates themes from Morrison’s other works.