Description
Book SynopsisFebruary 1, 2002 marks the 100th birthday of Langston Hughes. To commemorate the centennial of his birth, Arnold Rampersad has contributed new Afterwords to both volumes of his highly-praised biography of this most extraordinary and prolific American writer. In young adulthood Hughes possessed a nomadic but dedicated spirit that led him from Mexico to Africa and the Soviet Union to Japan, and countless other stops around the globe. Associating with political activists, patrons, and fellow artists, and drawing inspiration from both Walt Whitman and the vibrant Afro-American culture, Hughes soon became the most original and revered of black poets. In the first volume''s Afterword, Rampersad looks back at the significant early works Hughes produced, the genres he explored, and offers a new perspective on Hughes''s lasting literary influence. Exhaustively researched in archival collections throughout the country, especially in the Langston Hughes papers at Yale University''s Beinecke Libra
Trade ReviewRampersad's two-volume biography, re-released to commemorate Hughes' centennial, is the definitive account of the poet, playwright, and novelist who was the leading light of the Harlem Renaissance. New afterwords offer perspective on Hughes' literary legacy. * The Orlando Sentinel *
Arnold Rampersad's biography of Langston Hughes sweeps up the reader like a novel does....Rampersad's book serves as a foundational introduction to the leading figures of the Harlem Renaissance, as well as to others in politics, literature, and the arts. Its dramatic, even painful, last chapter will lead you straight out to search for the second volume. * Topica Tip World *
Excellent....Mr. Rampersad [leaves] you eager to see what he makes of the rest of the story, and confident that his second volume will be as good as his first. * John Gross, The New York Times *
Throughout this comprehensive and enthralling account of Hughes's life and his development as a writer, Rampersad offers a precise assessment of his work and its importance...This may be the best biography of a black writer we have had. * David Nicholson, The Washington Post Book World *
An exquisite orchestration of the fully lived life. * Michael S. Harper, The Boston Globe *
