Langston Hughes and the *Chicago Defender*: Essays on Race, Politics, and Culture, 1942-62

by Langston Hughes, Christopher C De Santis (Editor)

Langston Hughes is well known as a poet, playwright, novelist, social activist, communist sympathizer, and brilliant member of the Harlem Renaissance. He has been referred to as the "Dean of Black Letters" and the "poet low-rate of Harlem." But it was as a columnist for the famous African-American newspaper the Chicago Defender that Hughes chronicled the hopes and despair of his people. For twenty years, he wrote forcefully about international race relations, Jim Crow, the South, white supremacy, imperialism and fascism, segregation in the armed forces, the Soviet Union and communism, and African-American art and culture. None of the racial hypocrisies of American life escaped his searing, ironic prose. This is the first collection of Hughes's nonfiction journalistic writings. For readers new to Hughes, it is an excellent introduction; for those familiar with him, it gives new insights into his poems and fiction.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Through poetry, prose, and drama, American writer James Langston Hughes made important contributions to the Harlem renaissance; his best-known works include Weary Blues (1926) and The Ways of White Folks (1934).

People best know this social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist James Mercer Langston Hughes, one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry, for his famous written work about the period, when "Harlem was in vogue."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langsto...

Reviews

[Binnie Mckillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Langston Hughes and this book I believe was a good choice to read for my first time reading him because The Chicago Defender has numerous short stories about fiction and non-fiction stories wrote by Langston and other inspirational poets. The stories are about the incidents and events that occurred during the years between 1942-62 about african americans who struggled with the ignorance of others and how they stood up for themselves with confidence and responding with an intelligent response. I recommend this book to everyone who likes reading about african american culture and love hearing about short stories of strong people standing up for what they believe in.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of essays. Langston really knew what he was talking about despite people saying he wasn't a "thinker."