"When the two first met in November 1924, Carl Van Vechten was a
socially adept, married, homosexual, 44-year-old white man.
Langston Hughes was a poor, single, sexually ambiguous, talented
but barely published 22-year-old black man. Their shifting
relationship over the next four decades is embodied in this
correspondence. The adroit selection of photographs-many by Van
Vechten-and Emily Bernard's lucid, scrupulous annotation bring this
rich period to life."
-Steven Watson, author of "The Harlem Renaissance "and "Prepare for
Saints" "The friendship between Hughes and Van Vechten is surely
one of the more inspiring in recent American history. Meeting in
the 1920s as an aspiring young black poet and a celebrated white
man of letters, they crossed almost every hurdle that an often
disapproving society set before them. Sharp differences about art
and politics, about money and the complexities of culture-these
were never allowed to come decisively between them. They had in
common an irrepressible love of life and art, an enduring sense of
the value of friendship, and a delight in African American culture
from top to bottom. These letters, superbly chosen, attest to the
depth of their relationship, its sparkling optimism, its priceless
sense of honor, and its determination to survive despite the
expectations of a needlessly divided nation."
-Arnold Rampersad, author of "The Life of Langston Hughes "and
co-editor of "The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes" ""Remember Me
to Harlem" is not only a major contribution to our understanding of
the Harlem Renaissance, it is a delightful collection of gossipy
correspondence between two of its leading-and
mostintriguing-characters."
-Henry Louis Gates, Jr., author of "Wonders of the African World"
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