--- description: Ahead of the release of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead's latest novel, Harlem Shuffle, TIME reveals the story behind its cover art. title: How the Energetic Cover of Colson Whitehead’s 'Harlem Shuffle' Hints at the Heist Within image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt678d61c75686a0a0/698a16d2656a3faf73bdaf8d/colson-whitehead-harlem-shuffle.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Books](/tag/books/) ## Books Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 'The World Always Outwits Human Ingenuity.' How the Energetic Cover of Colson Whitehead’s Upcoming Novel _Harlem Shuffle_ Hints at the Heist Within  by [Lucy Feldman](/author/lucy-feldman/)  ## Lucy Feldman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Editorial Director Feb 2, 2021 5:00 PM CUT   by [Lucy Feldman](/author/lucy-feldman/)  ## Lucy Feldman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Editorial Director Feb 2, 2021 5:00 PM CUT When Oliver Munday set out to design the jacket art for [Colson Whitehead’s](https://time.com/5615610/colson-whitehead-the-nickel-boys-interview/ "undefined") new novel coming in September, _Harlem Shuffle_, he turned to a quote from the man himself: “I get to be funny again.” “I could feel the sigh of relief in his words,” Munday tells TIME. The designer behind the art for Whitehead’s two Pulitzer Prize-winning novels, [_The Underground Railroad_](https://time.com/4733551/colson-whitehead-pulitzer-prize/ "undefined") and [_The Nickel Boys_](https://time.com/collection/must-read-books-2019/5724529/the-nickel-boys/ "undefined"), felt a similar sense of levity. The topics of the previous books were both deeply serious, tackling American slavery and a treacherous real-life reform school, respectively. _Harlem Shuffle_, about a furniture salesman wrapped up in a double life of crime, is something of a departure. Ten books in, Whitehead has established a pattern of unpredictability, [experimenting across narrative types, structures and even genres](https://time.com/5614905/colson-whitehead-books/ "undefined"), though always delivering sharp observation and rich prose. In his latest, he picks up a thread laid down in his debut book—1998’s _The Intuitionist_ offered shades of detective fiction—to edge back into the crime genre. For _Harlem Shuffle_, the author looked to favorite caper films from 1951’s _Rififi_ to _Ocean’s Eleven_. “I love the meticulous planning; the way the heisters try to outwit destiny and fate by exercising their own will,” Whitehead says. “Something goes wrong and that’s the lesson: the world always outwits human ingenuity.” Munday sought to capture those stakes through the cover art, looking to the bold and eclectic posters of the ’50s and ’60s and signs for iconic Harlem spots like the Apollo Theater. He wanted to reflect the humor and genre elements of the novel. Whitehead sees the “manic energy” of _Harlem Shuffle_ reflected in the design. “It’s a book about the city, about walking, about collisions,” he says. “That complicated jigsaw cover prepares you for what’s inside.” With the novel’s release date still months away—an eternity in the unpredictable era of the COVID-19 pandemic—Whitehead is hoping he’ll get to tour and meet readers in person but unsure of what the launch will look like. “My priority is making sure my family is safe and sane,” he says**,** joking**,** “My sanity is a lost cause.” In the meantime, he has a television show to look forward to: a [new trailer](https://vimeo.com/503525815 "undefined") for [Barry Jenkins’ adaptation of ](https://www.indiewire.com/feature/the-underground-railroad-everything-you-need-to-know-amazon-barry-jenkins-1234599895/ "undefined")_The Underground Railroad_ recently dropped, and the author has been promised a Blu-ray screener to watch soon. The last thing Whitehead did in February 2020, before locking down at home, was visit the set in Georgia. While there, he witnessed more than a hundred team members making costumes, building sets and recreating his scenes: “I was just in my underwear in my office, making up goofy stuff to put in the book, and then four years later people are tasked with actually making it real.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5935152/harlem-shuffle-colson-whitehead-cover/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5935152/harlem-shuffle-colson-whitehead-cover/"},"headline":"'The World Always Outwits Human Ingenuity.' 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