Thomas Jefferson Dreams of Sally Hemings (58 page)

None of my books has ever been the result of my efforts alone, but never have I so benefited from the insight, generosity and, in some cases, hard labor of my friends and colleagues as I have this time around.

I want to thank, first of all, my wife, Helen Benedict, who has read many iterations of this book over the last five and a half years and given me much extremely beneficial advice about countless aspects of its content, style and political ramifications, and who has demonstrated admirable patience with my endless midnight panics and my tendency to infuse dinner-party conversations with gossip about the Founding Fathers.

I also want to thank those dear, wise and exceedingly kind friends who read my ten-pound manuscript and had the courage to tell me exactly what they thought, thereby giving me the chance to save myself and my readers from my ignorance and manifold weaknesses of character. Thank you, Idra Novy, Robert Marshall, Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, Ellery Washington, Cassandra Medley and Anja Konig.

Several good friends read excerpts from the manuscript and likewise helped shield the world from my deficiencies: Christine Hiebert, Mary McDonnell, Ellen Kozak, Amy Bonnaffons, Pascal Aubier, André Pozner, Erwan Benezet, Olivier Renouf, Abby Rasminsky, David Goldstein and Julia Deck. I'd also like to thank Christa Dierksheide and Anna Berkes at Monticello for providing me with crucial details about the way Jefferson's slaves actually lived.

I owe a huge debt of thanks to my wonderful agent, Jennifer Lyons, for her hard work on my behalf, her unflagging belief in me and in my books and for her excellent editorial advice. I also want to thank her assistant, Kit Haggard, for her consummate efficiency and all-around good nature.

This book never would have come into being if James Yeh, coeditor of
Gigantic
, hadn't invited me back in 2009 to write a three-hundred-word piece on a historical character for his journal. I sat down at my desk and, without thinking, wrote, “Sally Hemings is sleeping,” and thereby commenced a surprisingly long journey. Thanks, James.

Since that first piece I have benefited from the intelligence and excellent advice of a number of editors—the first and foremost being Paul Slovak, my editor at Viking Penguin, whose careful reading, spot-on marginal remarks, literary savvy and unfailing enthusiasm and generosity have done so much to help me transform this book into its best self. I consider myself hugely lucky that he wanted to work with my book and with me. Thanks, too, to Carolyn Coleburn, Rebecca Lang and to the many other extremely helpful people at Viking.

I am also indebted to Andy Hunter, a founding editor of
Electric Literature
, for his interest in and smart edits of this novel's earliest incarnation as a short story; to Halimah Marcus for remembering that story and wanting to publish an updated version of it in
Electric Literature's Recommended Reading
; to Ben Samuel for his own astute editing; and to Martha Colburn for her surprising, suggestive and beautiful video and for the art book that came along with it.

I did an enormous amount of work on this novel during three summers at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and will be forever grateful to the entire staff, but especially to Sheila and Craig Pleasants for their hospitality and support and for insisting that I visit Poplar Forest. Substantial portions of this book were also written during residencies at the Ucross Foundation, Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony and the Palazzo Rinaldi in Noepoli, Italy.

And, lastly, for giving me advice, listening to my gripes, bolstering my spirits, making me welcome and for assorted other kindnesses, I want to thank Bruce Baumann, Patti Capaldi, Courtney O'Connor, Marcus Grant, Marika and Kasya O'Connor Grant, Elizabeth Harris, Nell Boeschenstein and an extremely helpful young woman at the Millinery Shop in Colonial Williamsburg.

Throughout the research and composition of this book, I tried to jot down the names of everyone who helped me in any significant way. Nevertheless, I am sure that there is at least one person whose name has been left off the foregoing list. Should that be you, please forgive me and know that I am deeply grateful for your wisdom, your encouragement, your inspiration. Thank you.

9/6/09–8/20/
15

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