About the Author

LANGSTON HUGHES (1901–1967), one of the great poets of the Harlem Renaissance, was born in Joplin, Missouri, and spent much of his childhood in Kansas before moving to Harlem. Among his numerous awards and honors were a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1935, a Rosenwald Fellowship in 1940, and an American Academy of Arts and Letters Grant in 1947.

Reviews

“Langston Hughes is a titanic figure in 20th-century American literature . . . a powerful interpreter of the American experience.”
—The Philadelphia Inquirer

"The ultimate book for both the dabbler and serious scholar. [Hughes] is sumptuous and sharp, playful and sparse, grounded in an earthy music. This book is a glorious revelation."
—Boston Globe

“[Hughes’s] poetry has a pulse, a beauty and familiar kindness. . . . Much of it delights, even dazzles. His best work sticks with you—forever.”
—Cleveland Plain Dealer