What do you think?
Rate this book
Paul Robeson Speaks: Writings, Speeches, and Interviews, a Centennial Celebration
The ideas of the world-renowned Black American are represented on the arts, civil rights, socialism, and other topics
644 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
3 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 18, 2020
The book is a 600-page collection of Paul Robeson's own writings, speeches, manifestos, and interviews. I found the book very useful before reading one of Robeson’s biographies. These writings give us a glimpse into the struggles and achievements of Robeson as an artist and activist. I also recommend reading at least one of Robeson’s biographies. Among many who have written biographies, Martin Duberman, Gerald Horne, Barbara Ransby, and Paul Robeson Jr. have the best books that I have come across.
Robeson started as the only black player on the Rutgers University football team. He confronted tremendous racism by the white players. In one of these instances, Robert Nash, a member of the racist varsity squad, flatly states that Robeson “took a terrific beating...We gave him a tough time during the practices; it was like initiation. He took it well, though.”
After graduation from Rutgers, he prepared himself to attend the law school at Columbia, and in-between he worked at his father’s church for a short period. His father wanted Paul to become a minister just like him. During college, Paul decided that he lacked zeal for the ministry and that a career in law better suited his wish to make a name for himself and to serve his people. (2) After finishing law school in 1923, he started to practice his law career. Soon he gave up for lack of interest and the prevalent racism in the American society. He worked for a law firm and one day left the job after a secretary (in a racist slight) refused to type his letters.
Then, he started his music and acting career. He started as a musical actor playing Shakespearian theatre. Simultaneously, he lived between Europe (mainly Britain) and the United States. His reputation as an artist appeared to be boundless as early as the late 1920s, as his renown in Europe served to boost further his recognition in his homeland. (3) In 1927, he and one of his best friends Lawrence Brown appeared at a now fabled benefit for the Harlem Museum of African Art. (3) He was featured in many early Hollywood films such as Body and Soul, Borderline, Emperor Jones, and Show Boat. Many of these films (if not all) are deeply racist and profane. They are showing the real barbarity of white European culture in the United States during those years.
Read the full review at:
insideanairport
***
Robeson started as the only black player on the Rutgers University football team. He confronted tremendous racism by the white players. In one of these instances, Robert Nash, a member of the racist varsity squad, flatly states that Robeson “took a terrific beating...We gave him a tough time during the practices; it was like initiation. He took it well, though.”
After graduation from Rutgers, he prepared himself to attend the law school at Columbia, and in-between he worked at his father’s church for a short period. His father wanted Paul to become a minister just like him. During college, Paul decided that he lacked zeal for the ministry and that a career in law better suited his wish to make a name for himself and to serve his people. (2) After finishing law school in 1923, he started to practice his law career. Soon he gave up for lack of interest and the prevalent racism in the American society. He worked for a law firm and one day left the job after a secretary (in a racist slight) refused to type his letters.
Then, he started his music and acting career. He started as a musical actor playing Shakespearian theatre. Simultaneously, he lived between Europe (mainly Britain) and the United States. His reputation as an artist appeared to be boundless as early as the late 1920s, as his renown in Europe served to boost further his recognition in his homeland. (3) In 1927, he and one of his best friends Lawrence Brown appeared at a now fabled benefit for the Harlem Museum of African Art. (3) He was featured in many early Hollywood films such as Body and Soul, Borderline, Emperor Jones, and Show Boat. Many of these films (if not all) are deeply racist and profane. They are showing the real barbarity of white European culture in the United States during those years.
Read the full review at:
insideanairport
***
May 22, 2013
A lot has been written about Paul Robeson the great American artist,“race man” and bold fighter for peace and justice everywhere.
We know that Paul Robeson’s father escaped from a North Carolina slave plantation at age thirteen. The elder Robeson made his way to New Jersey, somehow managed to educate himself, eventually becoming pastor of Saint Thomas African Methodist Episcopal Church in Somerville, New Jersey.
His mother, Maria B. Robeson dies in a tragic house fire and his father raises Paul and his brothers and sisters.
Much has been written about Paul Robeson being a “Communist”. A few generations ago the American social and political “boogie man” was “Communism” and “Communist.”
Today it is “Terrorism” and “terrorist.” Sadly America seems to always be in need of a “boogie man”.
This is a very useful and informative book that goes a long way in putting the facts on the table. The book has a fantastic introduction and a detailed chronology of Paul Robeson’s rich and heroic life. Robeson earned a law degree, but devoted his life to taking a part of the rich musical heritage of black people to the world stage. He also sung the songs of the working peoples of the world. He was an actor, singer and athlete.
A life of song, travel, struggle, joy, study, peace, pain and an unwavering stand for human rights for “the Negro people” and for all people.
The book is divided in a wonderful way: “College”, “The Twenties”, “The Thirties” and so on. It is a huge volume of 623 pages. There is also a beautiful section entitled “Notes, Bibliography, Index ” that starts on page 495. This section is rich in information and facts.
Many interesting black and white photographs are scattered through out the book.
The book is really an intellectual history of Paul Robeson, a collection of his speeches,
his articles, his concerts and his interviews. We have Paul Robeson in his own words just the way he would have wanted it.
We hear that bold voice of Robeson when members of The Crusade to End Lynching visited then president Harry S.Truman in 1946, and Robeson read a written statement strongly urging the president to issue a “formal public statement” and to work for “a definite legislative and educational program to end the disgrace of mob violence” against black people. Of course president Truman declined, citing political reasons and bad timing!
This alone tells us all we need to know about the social, legal, moral and political environment that constituted the terrorism that was directed at African American people.
We should never fail to emphasize this.
When the meeting was over, Robeson was soon surrounded my reporters who asked if he was “a Communist”. Robeson responded that he would “label” himself as “ very violently anti Fascist.”
Robeson was then asked if he “followed the Communist party line.”
His response was “ It depends on what you mean by the Communist party line, right now the Communist party is against lynching. I’m against lynching”. See page 175-176.
The book gives the modern reader a backward glance into the American society of the 1920s,the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and the 1970s. A time when African people lived under a reign of terror, often called "Jim Crow", and were expected to remain silent and never, never to fight back with neither words nor deeds.
All of the attempts by the racist elements in every sector of American life (still with us today) to slander and vilify Paul Robeson have ended in failure.
Robeson emerges at the end of his ordeal as a valiant fighter for “his people” and the poor workingman and woman the world over.
He was never silenced by American government supported domestic terrorism nor crushed by the personal, legal and political attacks hurled at him and his family.
Although the American government mercilessly persecuted him, Robeson nevertheless remained a staunch defender of the persecuted!
All of his life he belonged to the great African Methodist Episcopal Church.
In 1976 he was buried in Harlem at the Mother AME Zion church where his brother was the pastor.
It should come as no surprise since Denmark Vesey, Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks were associated with the AME Church!
Perhaps the writer James Baldwin said it best: “in the days when it seemed that there was no possibility of raising the individual voice and no possibility of applying the rigors of conscience, Paul Robeson spoke in a great voice that creates a man.” See page 44.
Paul Robeson “paid his dues.”
This is a book that should be on every ones’ bookshelf.
We know that Paul Robeson’s father escaped from a North Carolina slave plantation at age thirteen. The elder Robeson made his way to New Jersey, somehow managed to educate himself, eventually becoming pastor of Saint Thomas African Methodist Episcopal Church in Somerville, New Jersey.
His mother, Maria B. Robeson dies in a tragic house fire and his father raises Paul and his brothers and sisters.
Much has been written about Paul Robeson being a “Communist”. A few generations ago the American social and political “boogie man” was “Communism” and “Communist.”
Today it is “Terrorism” and “terrorist.” Sadly America seems to always be in need of a “boogie man”.
This is a very useful and informative book that goes a long way in putting the facts on the table. The book has a fantastic introduction and a detailed chronology of Paul Robeson’s rich and heroic life. Robeson earned a law degree, but devoted his life to taking a part of the rich musical heritage of black people to the world stage. He also sung the songs of the working peoples of the world. He was an actor, singer and athlete.
A life of song, travel, struggle, joy, study, peace, pain and an unwavering stand for human rights for “the Negro people” and for all people.
The book is divided in a wonderful way: “College”, “The Twenties”, “The Thirties” and so on. It is a huge volume of 623 pages. There is also a beautiful section entitled “Notes, Bibliography, Index ” that starts on page 495. This section is rich in information and facts.
Many interesting black and white photographs are scattered through out the book.
The book is really an intellectual history of Paul Robeson, a collection of his speeches,
his articles, his concerts and his interviews. We have Paul Robeson in his own words just the way he would have wanted it.
We hear that bold voice of Robeson when members of The Crusade to End Lynching visited then president Harry S.Truman in 1946, and Robeson read a written statement strongly urging the president to issue a “formal public statement” and to work for “a definite legislative and educational program to end the disgrace of mob violence” against black people. Of course president Truman declined, citing political reasons and bad timing!
This alone tells us all we need to know about the social, legal, moral and political environment that constituted the terrorism that was directed at African American people.
We should never fail to emphasize this.
When the meeting was over, Robeson was soon surrounded my reporters who asked if he was “a Communist”. Robeson responded that he would “label” himself as “ very violently anti Fascist.”
Robeson was then asked if he “followed the Communist party line.”
His response was “ It depends on what you mean by the Communist party line, right now the Communist party is against lynching. I’m against lynching”. See page 175-176.
The book gives the modern reader a backward glance into the American society of the 1920s,the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and the 1970s. A time when African people lived under a reign of terror, often called "Jim Crow", and were expected to remain silent and never, never to fight back with neither words nor deeds.
All of the attempts by the racist elements in every sector of American life (still with us today) to slander and vilify Paul Robeson have ended in failure.
Robeson emerges at the end of his ordeal as a valiant fighter for “his people” and the poor workingman and woman the world over.
He was never silenced by American government supported domestic terrorism nor crushed by the personal, legal and political attacks hurled at him and his family.
Although the American government mercilessly persecuted him, Robeson nevertheless remained a staunch defender of the persecuted!
All of his life he belonged to the great African Methodist Episcopal Church.
In 1976 he was buried in Harlem at the Mother AME Zion church where his brother was the pastor.
It should come as no surprise since Denmark Vesey, Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks were associated with the AME Church!
Perhaps the writer James Baldwin said it best: “in the days when it seemed that there was no possibility of raising the individual voice and no possibility of applying the rigors of conscience, Paul Robeson spoke in a great voice that creates a man.” See page 44.
Paul Robeson “paid his dues.”
This is a book that should be on every ones’ bookshelf.
September 26, 2019
Pocas personas conocen la biografía de este culto artista estadounidense que fue bloqueado laboralmente por su activismo comunista. En sus escritos y discursos apoya siempre la lucha proletaria y el respeto a los derechos civiles de les afroamericanes.
September 12, 2025
An astonishing compendium of Paul Robeson’s academic and intellectual brilliance. This is one of the three most important books about Paul Robson that you have to read to understand his life and times..
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews