Product Description
Though known primarily as a poet, Langston Hughes crafted well over 40 theatrical works. This book examines Hughes's stage pieces from his first published play, The Gold Piece (1921), through his post-radical wartime effort, For This We Fight (1943). Hughes's stage writing of this period includes such forms as the folk comedy, the protest drama, the historical play and the blues opera. McLaren concludes that the "democratic" argument is ultimately employed by Hughes to challenge segregation in the military and that Hughes's iconography prefigures the black aesthetic of the 1960s. Photographs complement the text. ... Read more

Product Description
This book represents the first annotated bibliography devoted to the life and work of Langston Hughes. Divided into four main sections, the volume cites all of the author's collectable published material, including books and shorter works, as well as critical studies, essays, and other commentaries on Hughes that appeared in books or as articles. Each citation has also been verified for relative availability. Two appendixes are included, providing an alphabetical listing of Hughes's work, and descriptions of primary source material collections and The Langston Hughes Review. ... Read more

Product Description
A Rare and Exceptional Recording of Langston Hughes Reading His Own Poetry.

"Langston Hughes belongs to whoever is listening. A possession in common, like the sights and sounds of a streetcorner hangout or the barbershop debate over pretty girls' legs and baseball players; open your ears and your heart if you've got one, Langston will walk right in and do the rest. Always public, his poems have no front door; not fully alive in the unspoken state; never quite satisfied unless they are talking to somebody. His thoughts come naked, conceived in the open only at home in the public domain. Free, without charge, like water, like air--like salted peanuts at a Harlem rent party. Come in, have one on me--that's Langston's style; a great host; a perfect bartender; profligate--not of pigs' feet but of poetry--dishing it up, iambic pentameter, on the rocks and on the house, fresh wrote this morning. Dead now, but still alive. Ol' Langston in the corners of my mind." -- Ossie Davis

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Customer Reviews (1)

The Perfect Quick-Read for any Langston Hughes fan or Researcher!
This book is excellent! It's a quick read that is packed with useful information, and full of interesting pictures of Mr. Hughes himself, and the classic Harlem Renaissance. It's perfect for any book report or just for pleasure. I would definitly recommend you take advantage of this book for its many great features. Though it only has 112 pgs, the print is quite small, it isn't a very small book, and it has dozens of great pictures in each chapter, + its got a time line, and gives you some great choices for further reading!
I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in the great Langston Hughes, whom was the ultimate afro american poet! ... Read more

Product Description
A biography of the poet who spent his career writing about the experiences of African Americans, interspersed with examples of his work. ... Read more

Product Description
Examines the life of the Harlem poet who spent his career writing about the black experience in America. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Book on Black Achievement
This book was detailed and informative very easy to read.So glad I purchased it. Got an "A" in the class. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

great bio!
A powerful poet, breaking the racial descriptions of immigrants and blacks. Langston Hughes was born in Lincoln, Illinois. Was very well academically, and went to many colleges. He loved Harlem, he loved living there, barely scraping by as an artist. He performed many jobs, never of any social standard, such as a bellboy or a busboy. He traveled around the world to exotic places, just by chance. Some loved him; some hated him for defaming the glorified way of whites. He was a respected playwright as well as a poet. He died on May 22, 1967. This book is very good for people who like artists, especially black artists.

This book showed how his travels to different countries affected his writings. When he was looking for work, and a sign for sailors on a ship going to Africa was posted, he gladly accepted. On the way there, he was treated nicely, except for some people who thought they were better than them. At Africa, the merchants thought he was a native, so they treated him like the Africans were treated. He threw away his books, and wrote many poems about old Africa. When Langston went to France, he went to many parties at coffee shops, and was welcomed by the French. He wrote many poems similar to the French songs there. When he traveled around the world, in Asia, many tribes were dark-skinned like Langston and were treated the same way blacks were in the states. Asia had a revolution while he was there, and nothing was segregated anymore. While he was there, he wrote of the joy of being able to do the same things whites did, and not be penalized for it.

This book showed that Langston wasn't only a poet, he wrote short stories, plays, and books. Langston was bored with poems, so he started an autobiographical book. It talked about his relationship with his father, living as an artist, and the racial lines drawn as to what he could and couldn't do. "Not Without Laughter" was good, but it needed more, the reviewers commented. At least twenty of his plays were performed on Broadway, most with black actors. Many of the directors for the plays changed many things around, but Langston was glad the audience got the gist of it. Many of his poems, plays, and short stories won awards. One of his short stories was "The Old Folks At Home" about racial violence was sent to a magazine and was sent back with a letter wondering why he wrote about this violence and did not leave it alone. People wondered why he wrote about such things. It was to let people know that his people were suffering.

This book showed that Langston Hughes rebelled by writing things that were sacred to whites. One of his poems, "Song for a Dark Girl" talked about a girl whose lover was killed by white men, and asked Jesus why people prayed to him, if they were not going to be saved. People were in the streets mad that a black man used the word "Jesus" in his poem. Another poem, "Christ in Alabama" talked about how Jesus must be black (though he did not use that word) because he suffered like the blacks, and God was his "white master", and Mary was the black mother that has to keep her mouth shut. Many events were cancelled, saying that he should be run out of town for calling Jesus a n. word. (I don't feel comfortable saying, much less writing out the word.) Another poem that was disliked by the white public was the poem "Litany". It talked about how blacks do not receive any love from heaven because they were different than God. The churches roared, saying that people are receiving love from God, even though, that love was for whites.

This book is moving in the life of Langston Hughes, it tells everything. I recommend it to all.

B.Rimando

Langston Hughes
This book was about a black man who became a great poet and the obstacles he had to overcome. Langston moved around the country and the world trying to survive and make it on his own. He lived in the U.S., Mexico, Africa, and other places around the world. Langston Hughes had trouble finding food, money, a place to stay, and clothes to wear.Hughes worked on many ships traveling all over the world to write.Langston Hughes also had to battle racism throughout the United States.
I can relate to Langston Hughes in many ways.Right now, I am looking for a job, but cannot find one.It seems like no one wants to hire me.In the book, Langston moved to Mexico with his father.He said his father was always mad at him and was never satisfied with what he did unless he was doing it for money or got money in the process.I lived with my grandparents for nine years and the only time my grandfather was satisfied with me was when I got hundred's on my tests or report cards.He was always mad and angry with me.He yelled over every little thing and never said sorry when he was wrong.When Langston was looking for a job or something to eat, he was sometimes denied service because he was black.In my lifetime, I have been a subject of racism and it feels bad that people will not let you do something because of your sking color or something you cannot help.
I did like the book.My favorite part was when Langston was chosen the third greates writer/poet in the world.This was my favorite part because he was chosen number three out of black and white writers and it made me proud to be black.My least favorite part in the book was when his mother kept asking him for money.Every time Langston got some money, she wrote him and he had to give her money because she did something stupid or she needed something.I cannot really change anything in the book because the story is non-fictional.
I think that this a good book and everyone should read it.I think people who are poor, a minority, or a person who is open to anyone could relate to this book.

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Product Description
This study examines the genesis of Chicago's two identified literary renaissance periods (1890-1920 and 1930-1950) through the writings of Dreiser, Hughes, Wright, and Farrell. The relationship of these four writers demonstrates a continuity of thought between the two renaissance periods. By noting the affinities of these writers, patterns such as the rise of the city novel, the development of urban realism, and the shift to modernism are identified as significant connections between the two periods. Although Dreiser, Wright, and Farrell are more commonly thought of as Chicago writers, this study argues that Langston Hughes is a transitional, pivotal figure between the two periods. Through close readings and contextualization, the influence of Chicago writing on American literature--in such areas as realism and naturalism, as well as proletarian and ethnic fiction--becomes apparent. ... Read more