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Dutchman
Dutchman, one-act drama by Amiri Baraka, produced and published in 1964 under the playwright’s original name LeRoi Jones. Dutchman presents a stylized encounter that illustrates hatred between blacks and whites in America as well as the political and psychological conflicts facing black American men in the 1960s. The play won an Obie Award as best American Off-Broadway play of 1964; it was made into a film in 1967. Set in a New York City subway car, the play involves Clay, a young, middle-class black man who is approached seductively by Lula, a white fellow passenger. Lula provokes Clay to anger and finally murders him.
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About the author
Amiri Baraka
157 books403 followersPoems and plays, such as
Dutchman
(1964), of American writer Amiri Baraka originally Everett LeRoi Jones focus on racial conflict.
He attended Barringer high school. Coyt Leverette Jones, his father, worked as a postal supervisor and lift operator. Anna Lois Russ Jones, his mother, worked as a social worker.
He studied at Rutgers, Columbia, and Howard universities but left without a degree and attended the new school for social research. He won a scholarship to Rutgers in 1951, but a continuing sense of cultural dislocation prompted him to transfer in 1952 to Howard. He studied philosophy and religion, major fields. Jones also served three years in the air force as a gunner. Jones continued his studies of comparative literature at Columbia University. An anonymous letter accused him as a Communist to his commanding officer and led to the discovery of Soviet literature; afterward, people put Jones on gardening duty and gave him a dishonorable discharge for violation of his oath of duty.
In the same year, he moved to Greenwich Village and worked initially in a warehouse for music records. His interest in jazz began in this period. At the same time, he came into contact with Beat Generation, black mountain college, and New York School. In 1958, he married Hettie Cohen and founded Totem Press, which published such Beat Generation icons as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg.
Jones in July 1960 visited with a delegation of Cuba committee and reported his impressions in his essay Cuba libre . He began a politically active art. In 1961, he published Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note , a first book. In 1963, Blues People: Negro Music in White America of the most influential volumes of criticism, especially in regard to the then beginning free jazz movement, followed. His acclaimed controversy premiered and received an Obie Award in the same year.
After the assassination of Malcolm X (1965), Jones left his wife and their two children and moved to Harlem. His controversial revolutionary and then antisemitic.
In 1966, Jones married Sylvia Robinson, his second wife, who later adopted the name Amina Baraka. In 1967, he lectured at San Francisco State University. In 1967, he adopted the African name Imamu Amear Baraka, which he later changed to Amiri Baraka.
In 1968, he was arrested in Newark for allegedly carrying an illegal weapon and resisting arrest during the riots of the previous year, and people subsequently sentenced him to three years in prison; shortly afterward, Raymond A. Brown, his defense attorney, convinced an appeals court to reverse the sentence. In that same year, Black Music, his second book of jazz criticism, collected previously published music journalism, including the seminal Apple Cores columns from Down Beat magazine. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Baraka penned some similar strongly anti-Jewish articles to the stance at that time of the Nation of Islam to court controversy.
Around 1974, Baraka himself from Black nationalism as a Marxist and a supporter of third-world liberation movements. In 1979, he lectured at Africana studies department of State University of New York at Stony Brook. In 1980, he denounced his former anti-Semitic utterances, declaring himself an anti-Zionist.
In 1984, Baraka served as a full professor at Rutgers University, but was subsequently denied tenure. In 1989, he won a book award for his works as well as a Langston Hughes award.
In 1990, he co-authored the autobiography of Quincy Jones, and 1998 , he served as supporting actor in Bulworth, film of Warren Beatty. In 1996, the red hot organization produced Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip, and Baraka contributed to this acquired immune def
He attended Barringer high school. Coyt Leverette Jones, his father, worked as a postal supervisor and lift operator. Anna Lois Russ Jones, his mother, worked as a social worker.
He studied at Rutgers, Columbia, and Howard universities but left without a degree and attended the new school for social research. He won a scholarship to Rutgers in 1951, but a continuing sense of cultural dislocation prompted him to transfer in 1952 to Howard. He studied philosophy and religion, major fields. Jones also served three years in the air force as a gunner. Jones continued his studies of comparative literature at Columbia University. An anonymous letter accused him as a Communist to his commanding officer and led to the discovery of Soviet literature; afterward, people put Jones on gardening duty and gave him a dishonorable discharge for violation of his oath of duty.
In the same year, he moved to Greenwich Village and worked initially in a warehouse for music records. His interest in jazz began in this period. At the same time, he came into contact with Beat Generation, black mountain college, and New York School. In 1958, he married Hettie Cohen and founded Totem Press, which published such Beat Generation icons as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg.
Jones in July 1960 visited with a delegation of Cuba committee and reported his impressions in his essay Cuba libre . He began a politically active art. In 1961, he published Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note , a first book. In 1963, Blues People: Negro Music in White America of the most influential volumes of criticism, especially in regard to the then beginning free jazz movement, followed. His acclaimed controversy premiered and received an Obie Award in the same year.
After the assassination of Malcolm X (1965), Jones left his wife and their two children and moved to Harlem. His controversial revolutionary and then antisemitic.
In 1966, Jones married Sylvia Robinson, his second wife, who later adopted the name Amina Baraka. In 1967, he lectured at San Francisco State University. In 1967, he adopted the African name Imamu Amear Baraka, which he later changed to Amiri Baraka.
In 1968, he was arrested in Newark for allegedly carrying an illegal weapon and resisting arrest during the riots of the previous year, and people subsequently sentenced him to three years in prison; shortly afterward, Raymond A. Brown, his defense attorney, convinced an appeals court to reverse the sentence. In that same year, Black Music, his second book of jazz criticism, collected previously published music journalism, including the seminal Apple Cores columns from Down Beat magazine. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Baraka penned some similar strongly anti-Jewish articles to the stance at that time of the Nation of Islam to court controversy.
Around 1974, Baraka himself from Black nationalism as a Marxist and a supporter of third-world liberation movements. In 1979, he lectured at Africana studies department of State University of New York at Stony Brook. In 1980, he denounced his former anti-Semitic utterances, declaring himself an anti-Zionist.
In 1984, Baraka served as a full professor at Rutgers University, but was subsequently denied tenure. In 1989, he won a book award for his works as well as a Langston Hughes award.
In 1990, he co-authored the autobiography of Quincy Jones, and 1998 , he served as supporting actor in Bulworth, film of Warren Beatty. In 1996, the red hot organization produced Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip, and Baraka contributed to this acquired immune def
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
March 10, 2023
I reread this for a class I'm teaching (Introduction to African American Literature). I was a little nervous to teach this play simply because it's such a controversial play written by a controversial figure. I made sure to provide context for my students regarding Baraka's views, his antisemitism, and his significance to the Black Arts movement. I also had students watch clips from the film (available for free on Youtube!). We had a pretty great discussion of the play and the film and by the end of class, students seemed less confused and more interested.
The play is DARK and GRUESOME. The characterization of Lula and Clay and their interactions are powerful and complex. Every time I read this play, I get more out of it. I'm planning on teaching it again as it remains quite relevant (and has major Get Out vibes). And the film is SO GOOD.
The play is DARK and GRUESOME. The characterization of Lula and Clay and their interactions are powerful and complex. Every time I read this play, I get more out of it. I'm planning on teaching it again as it remains quite relevant (and has major Get Out vibes). And the film is SO GOOD.
March 29, 2023
david lynch should read this one
March 28, 2017
really thought provoking and shocking play - would love to see it performed!
October 14, 2025
I don’t think I yet understand the full essence of this play so I will have a more comprehensive review when I do
10/13/25 update - I believe this is a very compelling though brief work by Baraka. Amiri Baraka, formerly known as LeRoi Jones, was one of the key examples and figureheads of the Black Power Movement / The Black Arts Movement. He was very much interested in this idea of creating black art for a black audience and that spoke to the black experience and celebration of one’s blackness. Dutchman was controversial for sure. The portrayal of Lula as a predatory white woman who utilizes her sexuality for her own gain with black men poses valid questions on the role white women hold in perpetuating violence against men of color. But her characterization is almost cartoonish. Her sexual aggression is all there is to her, besides her overt racism and prejudice. Clay’s harsh language towards her, and even some physical violence, forces the reader to contend with Baraka’s own misogyny potentially. Clay is also an interesting character. He’s presented as polite and interested in Lula, but ultimately is a bit uncomfortable with her assumptions on him and her propositions on his character. Despite his monologue at the very end, Clay is presented as a fundamentally vulnerable and somewhat naive character. His racial awareness and pride doesn’t really manifest until the end and it makes him appear as less cognizant and perceptive than he may actually be in essence. But the point Baraka is getting at with these two characters’ dynamic is that black people ought to maintain themselves as separate from the dominant white culture. He suggests that if black men succumb to the evils of white women’s sexuality, they will be undone and killed. He also argues broadly that assimilation or integration will ultimately lead to the undoing of black people and pushes them towards cultural separatism. Baraka’s play is controversial, just like he was. The play features antisemitic lines and misogynistic comments and homophobic suggestions, and it’s unclear whether these reflect back on Baraka or if he includes them as part of a more nuanced portrayal of human vice and hatred. Regardless, the play is exceptionally well written and has a lasting impact on the reader.
10/13/25 update - I believe this is a very compelling though brief work by Baraka. Amiri Baraka, formerly known as LeRoi Jones, was one of the key examples and figureheads of the Black Power Movement / The Black Arts Movement. He was very much interested in this idea of creating black art for a black audience and that spoke to the black experience and celebration of one’s blackness. Dutchman was controversial for sure. The portrayal of Lula as a predatory white woman who utilizes her sexuality for her own gain with black men poses valid questions on the role white women hold in perpetuating violence against men of color. But her characterization is almost cartoonish. Her sexual aggression is all there is to her, besides her overt racism and prejudice. Clay’s harsh language towards her, and even some physical violence, forces the reader to contend with Baraka’s own misogyny potentially. Clay is also an interesting character. He’s presented as polite and interested in Lula, but ultimately is a bit uncomfortable with her assumptions on him and her propositions on his character. Despite his monologue at the very end, Clay is presented as a fundamentally vulnerable and somewhat naive character. His racial awareness and pride doesn’t really manifest until the end and it makes him appear as less cognizant and perceptive than he may actually be in essence. But the point Baraka is getting at with these two characters’ dynamic is that black people ought to maintain themselves as separate from the dominant white culture. He suggests that if black men succumb to the evils of white women’s sexuality, they will be undone and killed. He also argues broadly that assimilation or integration will ultimately lead to the undoing of black people and pushes them towards cultural separatism. Baraka’s play is controversial, just like he was. The play features antisemitic lines and misogynistic comments and homophobic suggestions, and it’s unclear whether these reflect back on Baraka or if he includes them as part of a more nuanced portrayal of human vice and hatred. Regardless, the play is exceptionally well written and has a lasting impact on the reader.
June 10, 2023
Fazia muito tempo que um texto tão curto me fazia pensar tanto. Caramba!!
October 4, 2025
shocking and raw material, a fantastic work by Baraka! Mind you, he wrote this play in one night!!
January 30, 2016
This play revolves around colour and class. Set in a train, it presents a dialogue between an educated black man and a white woman, a dialogue that is quite sexual, but still rooted in racial issues.
Through the dialogue, the playwright shows how the white tends to have a stereotypical image or vision of the black man. "I told you I didn't know anything about you... you're a well-known type" (1:12). This statement by Lula affirms that blacks have been mentally and visually configured, and are expected to behave in certain ways.
However, Clay, the black man in this play, seems to transcend the stereotype, and this results into a conflict with Lula, the white woman. And the conflict culminates into a tragic end.
Through the dialogue, the playwright shows how the white tends to have a stereotypical image or vision of the black man. "I told you I didn't know anything about you... you're a well-known type" (1:12). This statement by Lula affirms that blacks have been mentally and visually configured, and are expected to behave in certain ways.
However, Clay, the black man in this play, seems to transcend the stereotype, and this results into a conflict with Lula, the white woman. And the conflict culminates into a tragic end.
June 21, 2018
The ending caught me off guard. TOO GOOD. Definitely recommend!
January 24, 2021
There's a few interesting moments, but way too much doesn't happen for such a short play. I'm not sure what the commentary was. I thought it was going to be a sexist portrayal of a Black man sacrificing his dignity to be with a white woman. Then I thought it was maybe like a _Get Out_ thing where Lula is somehow using Clay. Then I thought it was going to be about how white people can do whatever they want but if Black people retaliate they will be punished. But ultimately none of those themes cashed out. In the end it feels like kind of lazy stock characters with a few stock lines about "race" and then a big dramatic ending that feels like mostly spectacle.
October 29, 2025
I say this about all the plays I read, but I would love to see a production of this play. I really liked the dynamic between Clay and Lula. She consistently seems invasive, both verbally and physically, and embodies an idea of unconscious white control. She has a fine time being over-the-top in front of Clay until he actually starts to push back and express his own discomfort. Clay just wants to go to his destination, yet he is commodified and targeted just based on his identity. The play, in my opinion, comments heavily on the fetishization of Black bodies that can be instantly flipped on a whim once the man starts to speak up for himself.
February 10, 2026
rashid johnson's staging of this at the russian turkish bathhouse is one of the best things ive had the privilege to sit in in my life and rereading the script for class i actually dont know how he came up with that fucking idea but the sauna is the smartest thing he could have possibly done for it and i like need to talk with him so bad
January 7, 2018
Strange play as it is very experimental, but also fairly interesting.
March 4, 2020
Read for African American literature. I like the plot twist.
September 2, 2020
Somewhere between a 3 and a 3.5 - thought provoking and a good discussion piece.
January 3, 2021
A seriously intense reading experience about race relations. I can't imagine how hard it would be to watch this play.
Read
May 28, 2022read for school. What on earth did I just read
May 30, 2023
read for class.
November 13, 2023
perhaps too based for its own good. i'd probably be more impressed if i hadn't already read zoo story.
September 30, 2024
a very surreal piece; necessary commentary on American race relations in the 1960's through the lens of the Black Arts movement
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2024
Average day on the subway
April 17, 2025
holy shit
Read
November 30, 2025I could see why people wanna perform that final monologue so bad.
December 11, 2025
alegoría a Adam y Eva nunca falla
Read
January 28, 2026I think saying that I didn’t like this will get me racist allegations, so I’ll just give this no rating at all.
Read for my English class.
Read for my English class.
February 23, 2026
It’s Clay and Lulu, not Adam and Eve.
March 21, 2017
I am a fan of Amiri Baraka and was totally unaware that he wrote plays. This play is something I would suspect him to write. I'm fascinated how it could be performed today.
February 8, 2025
Thought provoking for sure. The story makes its point from very early on. It’s so visceral it’s almost hard to read sometimes.
March 22, 2023
read for class :)
March 8, 2023
A dark one-act play which explores race, through the lens of post-colonialism. Its hard to sympathise with the two characters, but I don't think Baraka wants us to.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews