Copper Sun - by Countee Cullen

by Countee Cullen, Charles Cullen (Illustrator)

"OUR FLESH THAT WAS A BATTLE-GROUND SHOWS NOW THE MORNING-BREAK": COUNTEE CULLEN'S COPPER SUN, 1927, FEATURING ILLUSTRATIONS BY ART DECO ARTIST CHARLES CULLEN First trade edition of Cullen's first collected book of poetry after Color (1925)—"unequaled in his talent for creating… the formal poetry of the Harlem Renaissance"—issued along with a signed limited edition, featuring 58 poems including From the Dark Tower and Litany of the Dark People. In Copper Sun , Cullen's second collected book of poetry, he extends his poetic reach. Cullen shared with many Harlem Renaissance writers a belief that work "had social protest as its raison d'etre ," yet he also paid tribute to literary forefathers such as Keats and Percy Shelley. "Cullen insisted that while his subject matter might focus on African American life, his poetry was nevertheless part of a long English-language literary tradition" (Wintz & Finkelman, eds. Encyclopedia of the Harlem A-J , 251-52, 85). To Houston Baker, in Copper Sun , "the overriding dichotomy… is one of stasis and change. On the one hand, the poet believes despair is enduring and death the bitter end of all. On the other hand, he sees a better day approaching, the possibility of regeneration and immortality… The seven racial poems in Copper Sun fall generally on the positive side. Though he is now battered and scarred, there is a new day coming for the black American" ( Afro-American Poetics , 74). "Cullen was unequaled in his talent for creating… the formal poetry of the Harlem Renaissance" (Wintz & Finkelman, 271). "One of the most brilliant of the young poets of the era between the two World Wars… his roots went very deep into lyric soil" ( New York Times ). Containing 58 some appearing in journals and magazines such as Harper's , Opportunity , The Crisis , and Vanity Fair.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Classics, African American

92 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1927

About the author

Countee Cullen was was an American poet who was a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance. He was raised in a Methodist parsonage. He attended De Witt Clinton High School in New York and began writing poetry at the age of fourteen.

In 1922, Cullen entered New York University. His poems were published in The Crisis, under the leadership of W. E. B. Du Bois, and Opportunity, a magazine of the National Urban League. He was soon after published in Harper's, the Century Magazine, and Poetry. He won several awards for his poem, "Ballad of the Brown Girl," and graduated from New York University in 1923. That same year, Harper published his first volume of verse, Color, and he was admitted to Harvard University where he completed a master's degree.

His second volume of poetry, Copper Sun (1927), met with controversy in the black community because Cullen did not give the subject of race the same attention he had given it in Color. He was raised and educated in a primarily white community, and he differed from other poets of the Harlem Renaissance like Langston Hughes in that he lacked the background to comment from personal experience on the lives of other blacks or use popular black themes in his writing. An imaginative lyric poet, he wrote in the tradition of Keats and Shelley and was resistant to the new poetic techniques of the Modernists. He died in 1946.

Reviews

[Tim Jarrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cullen writes vividly about prejudice and bigotry, and somehow both vividly and vaguely about romantic love. The first section of the book and "Love's Way" are worth the price of admission.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first time I've had the chance to read any of Countee Cullen's poetry, and I'm so glad Serial Reader had Copper Sun available. The poetry was lovely to read. I read a lot of contemporary poetry, so it's nice to spend time with works that use traditional forms of poetry that originally made me love poems. The literary allusions were really interesting. The love poems were touching. Overall a very enjoyable poetry collection, and definitely underappreciated. Recommended!

[Dana Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Musings on love, death, and degradation. These poems stood out in particular: "From the Dark Tower," "Colors," "A Song of Sour Grapes," "Song," "Youth Sings a Song of Rosebuds," "Ultimatum," and "Leaves." For instance, the last stanza of "Song" left a vivid impression.

“There is a word that must be spoken,
A word your heart would hear,
And mine must whisper, or be broken;
Oh, make your heart your ear.”

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to read about the horrible violence of slavery but we must never forget what horrible pursuits man is capable of. We must stand against salivary and bigotry wherever we find it.

[J.A.]

Cullen had a keen sense of love and death, and puts both on display in this collection.

[Joey Schafer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up, pretty decent poetry. Favorite one was “Song”

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous collection of poetry. The notes on some poems were interesting, especially when it was stated what the poem was in reaction to, such as visiting Keath's graves.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cullen Culls #1
Nice volume of poetry from this geezer, an enjoyable read.
It's brilliant to be able to find books like this today, on places like serial app and read them.

[Annis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was able to read the 1927 first edition with the Charles Cullen illustrations which made reading this beautiful collection even more special

[Grace, Queen of Crows and Tomes · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

See Color.