Book Description
Introduction by Arnold Rampersad.
Langston Hughes, born in 1902, came of age early in the 1920s. In The Big Sea he recounts those memorable years in the two great playgrounds of the decade--Harlem and Paris. In Paris he was a cook and waiter in nightclubs. He knew the musicians and dancers, the drunks and dope fiends. In Harlem he was a rising young poet--at the center of the "Harlem Renaissance."
Arnold Rampersad writes in his incisive new introduction to The Big Sea, an American classic: "This is American writing at its best--simpler than Hemingway; as simple and direct as that of another Missouri-born writer...Mark Twain."
Customer Reviews:
"Sometimes life is a ripe fruit too delicious for the taste of man.".......2007-09-30
Published when Hughes was 38, the subject of The Big Sea is the period of his life from 1902-1939. It covers a wide variety of episodes in Hughes' life, with key elements being his travels as a youth, his relationship to his father, and the Harlem Renaissance.
I knew his poetry, of course, from all those years as an English major. I have not had the occasion to read any of his prose, and decided to pick this up after reading the collected works of Nella Larsen.
There was a lot to engage with in The Big Sea. I particularly liked Hughes' description of the Harlem Renaissance. His tone when he talked about it was affectionate and wistful, but still acknowledged the limitations that it had as a lasting solution. There were many great stories ("never hit a woman") and fascinating details-- reproductions of the whist party invitations, for example.
I also really was interested in the way that Hughes discusses his father and the issue of the race. His father left the US (first to Cuba, then to Mexico) in order to avoid race prejudice. His father had nothing but scorn for people of color who stayed in the US and subjected themselves to the inevitabilities of race and class limitations. The anger that this self-imposed exile cost him comes out in his dealings with his son and the way in which he engages with the world around him.
At points, it is as though Hughes is meditating on all the different ways that people around him (including him) have used to address the race problem. It is not the most uplifting of sketches, since none of the various paths seem (according to Hughes) to be a good or lasting solution.
Well-written, interesting, and with many pointers to further reading.
Must read.......2007-05-12
I read this as an assignment in college and found it wonderfully painful in its realism and truth. A must read for every American, regardless of what ethic origin.
The journies of a Hero.......2006-07-17
"On a radio show, he (Hughes) defended the right of trumpeter Louis Armstrong, who had long faced the white world with a broad grin, to vent his racial anger."
Like Armstrong, Hughes also faced the same world with his broad smile. Throughout the BIG SEA and I WONDER AS I WANDER, there in the texts of both autobiographies is the ever smiling Hughes. Other than the people he met and the foreign lands he visited---all making for great and entertaining reading--- very little is revealed about the man he was. His larger than life personae masked a man who was only 5'4 in stature, closeted gay
because being open would have meant a short career and ostracism, especially in the African American community who was a refuge from a racially hostile world and who Hughes loved with an unmatched passion back in his day, and, according to the late Gwendolyn Brooks who had known Hughes since the age of 16 wrote in a New York Times article that when Hughes was subjected to offense and icy treatment because of his race, he was capable of jagged anger - and vengeance, instant or retroactive. She has letters from him that reveal he could respond with real rage when he felt he was treated cruelly by other people.
Both autobiographies do a great job at documenting the world in Hughes' day. The most fascinating thing about the first book of his life is the Harlem Renaissance and the people who moved in it during its illustrious height. Till this day, the BIG SEA provides one of the best sources of this important period in American culture. Few people realized that if not for best friend Arna Bomtemps the autobiography may have never been written. Bontemps encouraged Hughes to write the book. Up to that time, few blacks, especially black males, had seen and done what Hughes managed to do. Plus, the book challenged stereotypes about black America in general. The challenge he had in writing the book was how to write for two audiences, white and black. Characteristically, Hughes did not pander to the white audience, "I do not hate `all' white people," nor did he distance himself from and sacrifice the racial pride his grandmother taught him to have for his people, who he primarily wrote for. In the second autobiography, Hughes is on the road again and much more time is given to his travels, especially in the then Soviet Union. Absent are his communist sympathies. Like many blacks of the day, socialism was preferable to segregation. Blatant is the unspoken critique that in the absence of capitalism, everyone man is "equal." As far as romance is concerned, scholars have noted Hughes'rather perfunctory and insincere rendezvous with the very few woman he talks about in these autobiographies. Quite understandably, Hughes attempts to pass himself off as having all the accoutrements of straight men. His situation with the over zealous Russian woman who he does not portray favorably in I WONDER AS I WANDER is interesting. She is portrayed as the Duboisian woman whose association with black men destroys them. Plus, Hughes did not favor interracial marriage so it is peculiar that he proffered the idea in the text of bring the Russian woman home as a wife as she wanted.
The above quote was from Volume 2 of Arnold Rampersad's biography of Hughes. What made Hughes' defense of Armstrong so intriguing is that Hughes also reveals much about himself and what lied behind the mask he wore. The readers of the BIG SEA and I WONDER AS I WANDER will not see the man behind the mask. They are largely presented surface, a fleeting glimpse of Hughes here and there. A scholar said to really understand Hughes, one must read Rampersad's two biographies. This scholar was partially right. But, don't dismiss these autobiographies! They are worth the read and are a enjoyable read. Time and interest permitting, do read LANGSTON HUGHES Vols. 1 and 2 by Rampersad for balance also read Faith Berry's LANGSTON HUGHES: BEFORE AND BEYOND HARLEM. Reading these latter biographies with the two autobiographies by Hughes, one will be presented the man Langston Hughes was: proudly African American, gay, brave, smart, ambitious, often very angry, and often lonely.
Hughes doesn't reveal much of himself, but his autobiographies are still 5 star ratings because like his work they continue to inspire and for everyone, especially young blacks in the inner city, let them know that they can overcome any obstacle in life so long as the desire and determination is there.
Great!!!!.......2005-09-27
Even though my book got lost in the mail, I was still able to get my money back. Thank you very much. I hope I have the chance to buy another book from you.
A wonderful memoir.......2003-12-04
Langston Hughes was a wonderful poet and story teller so it is not surprising that his autobiography/memoir is a joy to read. He tells the story of his life by giving us delightful episodes that each read like short stories. Each chapter has the structure of a short story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Along the way, the reader has to be amazed at the texture and breadth of his life adventures. He lives for a short time in Mexico with his father, in several cities with his mother and other relatives, and then his wonderful sea going adventures in Europe, Africa, and also his stay in Paris. The reader also gets a first hand glimpse of what it was like to be "Negro" in America as well as in other places in the world. The writing is bright and energetic and the book is very difficult to put down. I highly recommend it to anyone who might be thinking about writing an autobiography or memoir.
Customer Reviews:
Slow to Warm.......2006-03-17
Book was interesting and provided a genuine sense of life for blacks during the early part of this century. It started slow but towards the middle of the book the pace picked up and I enjoyed it more.
Wonderful, heartbreaking yet redemptive novel.......2006-02-03
This is a fine novel written at a time of overt racial discrimation about members of a family surviving the best way they could. It does have great relevance to the 21st century because although much has changed (this was the pre-civil rights period), much still needs to be changed. This book should be required high school or college reading.
It was ok.......2006-01-26
Throughout the story you can see the talent of Langston Hughes. However, the subject was not unique or original for the current times. Granted, it may have been something special whe it was first written and published. We have all seen movies or read stories with the exact same plot; it's not worth reading if you're looking for a new story.
If you want to experience the beauty of Hughes' writing then you should give this novel a chance. It's a short read at 300 pages, but the poet's talent shines through in numerous passages.
This was my first exposure to the author and I will probably read more of his work along the way. Hopefully, there will be more unique story lines as I continue through his art.
Wow!.......2004-09-24
Such heart! I have read his poetry, but I had never read his prose. So smooth, so wonderful. I adore the characters. They followed me throughout the day. This is written so well, I really felt like I was right there. I also ran through a gamut of emotions while reading this. That's what a book should do - make me feel, make me think, make me wonder... This book did that for me.
A Must Read Classic.......2004-08-17
This book by Langston Hughes captures the life of the Midwest through the eyes of a young growing by in the early 1900's. I thought the portrayal of that life, the struggles and hardships, and the community love despite thiese things, was excellent. The writing was simple and provided a good flow to draw me into the story and to be placed in the time frame. This is a keeper for the library collection.
Book Description
In I Wonder as I Wander, Langston Hughes vividly recalls the most dramatic and intimate moments of his life in the turbulent 1930s.
His wanderlust leads him to Cuba, Haiti, Russia, Soviet Central Asia, Japan, Spain (during its Civil War), through dictatorships, wars, revolutions. He meets and brings to life the famous and the humble, from Arthur Koestler to Emma, the Black Mammy of Moscow. It is the continuously amusing, wise revelation of an American writer journeying around the often strange and always exciting world he loves.
Customer Reviews:
A Journey Across Langston's Life.......2006-12-28
When I started writing here on Amazon reviews I was thinking of placing pieces of my memory from books that shaped our family so that my daughter who was reading and living on-line might share a few minutes with me as I reflected back on things that might tell the stories of us. Being very ill it seemed a logical kind of thing to do. One of the reasons I waited until Christmas to write this particular piece was it fits, the title of this story taken from an Appalachian melody of Christmas, among the most beautiful I know for my playing on dulcimer. The tune which inspired his title is just a simple,hill country piece of handiwork. The other reason I waited was having made an Amazon friend who is inspired at a fundamental level by Hughes and who is dear to me, it gave me awhile to think about what to say here of this book. I know he lives in close connection to Hughes spirit and may indeed embody and carry this work and truth. Not an easy thing at all...but the world is better for this. I hate to do it a disservice and I'm inadequate to the task, and yet the book is among my most favorite ever read. I'm surprised that it isn't reviewed by many more here , this volume for me one of the most amazing secrets ever kept. It is an autobiographical journey, a tale from his life; it serves to create inner spaces, visceral visual ones, to consider Hughes and to look upon his perspectives. All I can conclude is something I find tonight as I type, it's daunting to write to the book and do it any real justice. It is worth purchasing for anyone, especially for someone who loves to read of the times of our lives in the 20th century..
Hughes opens the book, which covers time from 1931 to 1938 as a piece to carry on from The Big Sea his first autobiographical work. As I read them out of order I cannot say I am sorry this was my first. It stays solidly in my head. He tells of traveling in a car on a reading tour in the South and the west. On opening the tale of wandering we are where he was reading his work in small often rural settings and revealing black community and his meager circumstances as he was essentially becoming the writer. He becomes involved in a film project and goes to the Soviet Union which is such an amazing thing to read....it is a project that doesn't work out and he stays and continues traveling. Just to know more about this time in history from his perspective in areas we could not know enough about is worth the book....and it is these observations and how he finally returns to the US, I found the most compelling of the narrative. I felt I was wandering, wandering free of some of the limitations of American political shaping, looking at the Soviets as they took on the start of building their country, listening to Hughes describe the adventure, what he sees. Hughes is not given to excessive internal dialog, he is almost remarkably absent of this-which of course is a vehicle he creates-he relates what he sees and it has a kind of universal journey construction...almost ...so perfectly of those times, so completely crafted that I lose my "self" in the pages...I am a train, or a days delicious seafood with boiled bananas and Spanish rice learning to rumba. I am ill equipped to summarize but Hughes is a genius, creating a kind of tableau that for me stands as visually there as the great human artists of these times, this he does so easily. And I feel this trip across Russia as an experience. I think what moves me is that Hughes recounts human interaction, the simplicity, the everyday as it might be felt by myself or was felt by himself. I've spent most all of my life living in teaching in ordinary everyday, poorer worlds by choice learning of the dignity and indignity, suffering, laughing, discovering others, in the valid and real lives of ordinary people. It makes me anecdotal and determined to honor lives. And I note in the book foreword him stating, "I've now cut out all the impersonal stuff down to a running narrative with me in the middle of every page...the kind of intense condensation that, of course, keeps an autobiography from being entirely true, in that nobody's life is pure essence without pulp, waste matter , and rind-which art, of course, throws in the trash can." Ah always genius.
Because I had read a great deal of these times interested in Lillian Hellman and many other figures, his recounting his story with Arthur Koestler was so interesting. Again threaded through this personal anecdote was so much good information and his perspective. He talks of Haiti and I've given these pages many times to friends connected to this country, of Cuba, China and Japan ending in Carmel in an area I lived with close life there for 9 years, which was remarkable for me as I first encountered the book reading it sitting in a bookshop in Carmel and wandering the streets reading and thinking and enjoying thoughts of his times there. These were times of Communism, Marxism, the Scottsboro Boys, and only a bit becomes part of the book though I was discerning much because I did know of the times from my interests, reading and from reading more to understand his times.
I have stated in writing I've done of my teaching life that Hughes lived writing of black America, of politics, of difficult constructs, from his background, then his education, from his broadening views, from traveling, meeting such a wide spectrum, he was writing of the lives of the poor, living the lives, but also a writer, thinker, a man apart. I sense his frustration as much as I can from my inadequacies in trying to speak to these issues of fairness, of poverty, of the travesty of greed, of human lives affected by prejudice and economic and political failure. I write anecdotally of teaching in South Central, in migrant areas trying to reach out and tell the stories of kids hoping those that read can draw conclusions and understand better their real realities. I sense Hughes left to his readers a responsibility to use his journey, his insights, to think about how to make America a fairer place. How to work to create a just world. And to understand how broad a world it is.
I read in the forward about the books reception as "shallow". And I wonder....as I too wander. There is an elegant powerful truth that Hughes carries, a silent power in a poets voice spoken in the face of revealing things no one can hear or will hear. There is a basic return to the voyage as meaning itself, a telling of a life, a looking at life as a movement forward. I just cannot find that shallow. I find Hughes as ever one of the touchstones of my life.
this should be on required reading lists everywhere!!.......2001-09-19
As the sequel to "The Big Sea", Mr.Hughes again speaks the language of a poet so well that he makes the reading of his life seem like a first-person experience. After his travels on several ships and the taste of his first successes(and failures), he simply explores and writes: of Paris, Russia, and Cuba, and shares his experiences with the reader. His writing is so rich and vivid that he makes every location in the world seem like poetry in motion. This book and "The Big Sea" should definitely be on reading lists everywhere-or, if you have a friend or relative who feels like they're a "wandering spirit", these books would make great gifts. Mr.Hughes touches on everything human: from the strained relationship with his father to the blatant racism he encounters everyday; to the women he becomes fond of and his neverending thirst for experience and knowledge; to the countless sights of wonder in the world that one never sees when they are ignorant. Beautiful writing by a true poet.
BRILLIANT, EYE OPENING.......1999-02-02
IN THIS BOOK , MR. HUGHES REALLY OPENS UP AND LETS THE READER INTO HIS WORLD. IT IS NOT HARD TO IMAGINE BEING IN THE PLACES THAT HE DESCRIBES. THE EVENTS AND CHARACTERS POP OUT AT YOU. THIS BOOK IS AN ENJOYABLE READ
Average customer rating:
- THOSE WORDS "HITS MY HEART !"
- Introducing Langston Hughes.....
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Love to Langston
Tony Medina
Manufacturer: Lee & Low Books
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ASIN: 1584300418 |
Amazon.com
From one Harlem poet to another, Love to Langston is a tribute to one of America's most talented and beloved poets, Langston Hughes. Written in the art form Hughes cherished most, this biography in verse captures glimpses of the poet's world through his voice as author-poet Tony Medina imagines it. Readers will learn how young Langston was ridiculed in first grade by his teacher who "tells one kid / not to eat licorice / or he'll turn black / like me." In "I Do Not Like My Father Much," we discover that Hughes's father severed all contact with his son when he learned that he wanted to be a poet. There's even a poem about author Alice Walker bringing the ailing poet a bag of oranges when he was on his deathbed. Devotees of Langston Hughes and those who are meeting him for the first time will enjoy this accessible biography with striking acrylic illustrations by R. Gregory Christie. Medina and Christie also collaborated on DeShawn Days. (Ages 5 to 10) --Emilie Coulter
Book Description
Fourteen poems offer young readers an exciting glimpse into the life of Langston Hughes, one of America's most beloved poets. Each poem explores important themes in Hughes's life — his lonely childhood, his love of language and travel, and his dream of writing poetry. Color illustrations throughout and extensive notes at the back of the book expand upon the poems, giving a broader picture of Hughes's life and the time in which he lived.
Customer Reviews:
THOSE WORDS "HITS MY HEART !" .......2005-03-07
Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902 (in Joplin MO), and his centennial was celebrated with the publication of books honoring his poetry & life, including "Langston Hughes, an American Poet" by Alice Walker . . . & also, "Love to Langston" by Tony Medina.
For this book the author writes poems in a style similar to Hughes' - - each being biographical. These are followed by three pages of helpful notes. Some of the dates make for surprises: In 1914 Hughes protested against "JIM CROW SEATING" in his 7th grade! In 1923 he began an odyssey to learn about the world firsthand, starting with Africa: "going around the world digging life, . . mining for riches" by observing people.
His poetry was influenced by Walt Whitman and Carl Sandburg, but also by the rhythms of jazz. "Jazz makes me sing - - the blues makes me feel . . . a whole lot better . . . hits my heart in the funny bone." The bold colorful illustrations by Gregory Christie are a happy choice and complement Medina's hopeful text. This happened, too, with the 1982 "Langston, A Play by Ossie Davis" for which Jerry Pinkney illustrated the cover.
In the 1950s the specter of Senator Joseph McCarthy threatened Hughes' ability to earn a living. He was quite ill in 1967 when "dear sweet Alice (Walker)" one of the young authors inspired by his works, visited him: " ... she brings me oranges like a bag of sun." The sun can also shine into your heart through reading Langston Hughes' poetry, suggests REVIEWER mcHAIKU.
Introducing Langston Hughes............2002-03-20
Meet James Langston Hughes in a unique and entertaining biography that brings this great poet of the Harlem Renaissance to life. Written in free verse, Tony Medina's fourteen poems follow Langston from his boyhood in Kansas marked by racism and poverty, to his trips to Africa and around the world, and finally to life in his beloved Harlem..."Harlem is the capital of my world/black and beautiful and bruised/like me..." Mr Medina's simple, yet powerful poems speak volumes, and are full of energy, rhythm, wisdom, and truth. "In Topeka, Kansas/the teacher makes me sit/in the corner/in the last row/far away from/the other kids// She rolls her eyes/and sucks her teeth/with heavy heavy sighs/and lies and lies// She tells one kid/not to eat licorice/or he'll turn black/like me// When Mama finds out/she takes me out of school/she rolls her eyes/and sucks her teeth/with heavy heavy sighs// And why why why" R. Gregory Christie's expressive, bold, and riveting illustrations complement each poem beautifully, and draw the reader into the world Langston Hughes loved and remembered. Together word and art present an engaging and evocative tribute to a remarkable and vibrant man who loved people, books, and jazz. This is much more than a creative and innovative biography, it's a labor of love. Perfect for youngsters 7 and older, Mr Medina includes notes, details, and insight to help flesh out, complete, and enrich these original poems about Langston Hughes' life, and introduce Hughes and his work to a whole new generation. This engaging biography is sure to whet the appetite of both young and old alike, and send you out looking for more. So come celebrate the life of Langston Hughes on what would have been his one hundredth birthday... "Sometimes life ain't/always a hoot/or a holler// But if you manage/to give it/a bother// Even if you miss/your mother/or don't like your father// There'll be better days/up ahead// A whole mess of/happenin' days/up ahead// You can sit and sulk/suck your teeth/and sigh// Or love and laugh/and live life/by and by"
Average customer rating:
- Not Without Faults, But of Quality!!!
- The real Langston
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Before & Beyond Harlem: Biography of Langston Hughes
Faith Berry
Manufacturer: Random House Value Publishing
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Similar Items:
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Langston Hughes: Critical Perspectives Past And Present (Amistad Literary Series)
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The Life of Langston Hughes: Volume II: 1914-1967, I Dream a World (Life of Langston Hughes, 1941-1967)
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The Life of Langston Hughes: Volume I: 1902-1941, I, Too, Sing America (Life of Langston Hughes, 1902-1941)
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I Wonder as I Wander: An Autobiographical Journey (American Century Series)
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Selected Poems of Langston Hughes
ASIN: 0517147696
Release Date: 1995-11-22 |
Amazon.com
Langston Hughes is best known as a poet, a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and '30s, and one of the first literary artists to realistically portray black American life. Hughes's immense talent, literary output, and social influence, however, extend far beyond the limited stereotype of him as "the bard of Harlem." In this meticulously researched volume, Faith Berry treats Hughes in the context of his time--as "one of the most prolific and versatile American writers of his generation" and a true man of letters. Concentrating on Hughes's development before he moved to Harlem in the 1940s, Berry focuses on the major influences that shaped his life and career--from his rootless childhood and early "addiction" to reading to his world travels (including journeys to Africa, Europe, and the Soviet Union) and relationships with other prominent American intellectuals. A portrait emerges of a shy, self-effacing man who, despite considerable hardship, never lost his determination or his vision of a more just world, and who overcame the racism of his day to become a poet, playwright, translator, librettist, author, and social activist of international stature.
Hughes was an intensely private man, and his own autobiographical works omit many personal facts that Berry discusses here. The volume also reprints more than 60 poems that are not widely anthologized, discussing them in their biographical context. In an appendix to this edition, Berry takes issue with Hughes's "official biographer," whom she believes presents a distorted, sensationalized version of the poet's life. "Truth in biography does not mean everything we ever wanted to know but were afraid to ask," she says, and in her own work she steps back, avoids intrusive psychoanalytic interpretation, and presents a balanced, thoughtful, and often moving look at her subject's remarkable life. --Uma Kukathas
Customer Reviews:
Not Without Faults, But of Quality!!!.......2005-07-01
The distinguishing feature of Faith Berry's LANGSTON HUGHES: BEFORE AND BEYOND HARLEM is the brevity of the text when compared to the extremely detailed biographies of THE LIFE OF LANGSTON HUGHES 1&2 by Arnold Rampersad.
It should be noted that Ms. Berry was not given full access to the Hughes Papers on deposit at Yale. Rather, she was given permission to only view those pages specifically asked for from the executors under the tutelage of the late George Bass. As a result and under sometimes trying circumstances, Berry labored with more difficulty to put together a biography that is as definitive as Rampersad's, but doesn't come close to being rich in the prized details that show Hughes as being the complicated man that he was barring the lonliness and unimpeachable black pride that accompanied him to the end of his life. Rampersad's two biographies of Hughes surpasses Berry's because he had full access to the Hughes Papers. This access allowed him to offert the read a three diminsional picture of Hughes revealing a man who had his faults in character along with his triumphs in
character. Berry doesn't quite manage to break the exterior of Hughes as good as Rampersad.
The real fulcrum on which Berry's biography hangs is its unbridled absence of prejudice in acknowledging Hughes being an understandably closeted black gay man. Not the first to do this, Berry offers the more likely true conjecture that the significant romantic relationship in Hughes' life (the F.S. dedication of one of Hughes' poems) was Ferdinand Smith of Jamaica, a merchant sailor who encouraged Hughes to go to sea which led to his famous travels. Hughes corresponded with Smith up until 1961 when Smith died in Jamaica. Of course, this information Berry mentions in her notes rather than include it in
the text of her biography. To her discredit, she chooses to mention and then deny a rumor that Hughes and silent film actor Ramon Novarro were lovers in the body of the biography. Novarro was unjustly and inaccurately linked to every man he knew after his tragic death--to the dismay of his biographers. To her credit, she does reveal that the Caribbian traveling companion of Hughes, Zell Ingram, was a gay man who married and divorced later in his life. Rampersad does not even identify Ingram as gay and is to dismissive of other black gay men in Hughes's life. Rampersad, to his credit, does not engage in rumors. Moreover, Rampersad's more detailed research led him to the astonishing and often ignored admission that Hughes preferred black men, especially those of dark complexion. As evidence by his life and body of work, Hughes showed little interest in white men as objects of desire ( the complete polar opposite of Richard Bruce Nugent who was "somewhat" openly gay, even while married, and showed a patent interest in white men in his life and work excluding SMOKE, LILLIES, AND JADE). Critics of Rampersad have failed to note this contradiction in Rampersad's Vol.2 where he sums up of Hughes' life and work. Rampersad doesn't escape showing prejudiced text, but does make startling admissions that show the unfairness of the label "homophobic" being applied to him. In fairness to Berry, she does give Rampesad some praise for Vol. 2 of his biography of Hughes.
(Both Berry and Rampersad fail to take into consideration the "down low" culture which existed among black gay married men who knew Hughes in his day and the vested interest of these men in wanting to make Hughes appear as straight. Rampersad indirectly acknowledges this fact in his Afterword at the same time of unknowingly intimating that he may have ignored and suppressed much evidence in Hughes's association other black gay men.)
Berry's biography of Hughes isn't without its faults. But fortunately, these faults don't take away from the text as a whole.
The real Langston.......1999-12-17
This a a book that has works by Langston Hughes that perhaps your pat Black History month or American Literature classes never mentioned. Excellent work by a brilliant author.
Average customer rating:
- The GREAT ONES usually start from HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
- Wonderful Illustrations
- Walking with Pride
- Heroes, who were just like Langston.
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Coming Home: From the Life of Langston Hughes
Floyd Cooper
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ASIN: 0698116127 |
Book Description
Young Langston Hughes was a dreamer. He dreamed about heroes like Booker T. Washington, who was black just like him. When he heard the clackety-clack of train wheels, he dreamed about the places it had been. But most of all, he dreamed about having a happy home. And so, one day, he began turning those dreams into beautiful prose. As he did, he discovered where his home really was--in the words and rhythms of his poetry that reached people all over the world. The beloved Langston Hughes comes to life in a book for poets, dreamers, children and adults --anyone who has ever thought of what home means to them. Teachers looking for a good way to introduce youngsters to this prominent poet will find this book to be an excellent accompaniment to his work. --School Library Journal Like Hughes' poetry, the power of Cooper's story is that it confronts sadness even as it transcends it. --Booklist His text is as inviting as his illustrations. --The New York Times Book Review
Customer Reviews:
The GREAT ONES usually start from HUMBLE BEGINNINGS.......2005-03-05
Floyd Cooper's book is the perfect introduction to the early life of one of America's literary giants. This biography covers so much ground, with historical references, as well as stressing the importance of family, that the book is an asset to teach different subject areas.
Smaller children can relate to the simple narrative, while older readers can make connections between the young "dreamer" and the works for which he would be later known.
The book could fit easily in the library of both an elementary or high school.
Wonderful Illustrations.......2001-12-03
The watercolor illustrations employed represent the setting perfectly, regardless if the point in the story was that of a rural Kansas, Kansas City street life, and Mexican village. What wonderful impressionistic artwork! There seems to be an inner light in the faces of each person represented in the illustrations.
The action and music portrayed in the text, carries over into the illustrations. The book's illustrations show movement and action. A sense of happiness or loneliness is conveyed through the watercolor paintings. They are very explicit in showing emotion. Overall, text and illustrations, lend this to being one of the best biographical books for young children.
Walking with Pride.......2001-06-06
This story is so moving. Showing hardships, love, and finding acceptance.It tells of an Afician child learning about his history and walking tall as a man. It was very moving, the pictures were soft and had a texture of warmth. I would highly recommend it for reading.
Heroes, who were just like Langston........2000-10-14
I thouroughly enjoyed this book. I didn't know much about Langston Hughes before I had read it. I think I understand him a little better after reading it. What attracted me the most was finding a book about an African American boy who learned his own family history and could feel proud of it. I guess the following quote sums it up "Almost always, his grandma told stories of heroes. Heroes who were black, just like Langston." I am volunteering in an inner city middle school. The kids I tutor do not read anywhere near their grade level. I think they might be able to read this book, and still enjoy it. It's not a baby book, although, I suppose a young child might enjoy it, too. I also like the warm and colorful pictures.
Average customer rating:
- An Excellent Read
- Passionate, cruel, Honey-lipped, syphilitic
- Rampersad at his best!!
- A WONDERFUL BOOK!
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The Life of Langston Hughes: Volume I: 1902-1941, I, Too, Sing America (Life of Langston Hughes, 1902-1941)
Arnold Rampersad
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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The Life of Langston Hughes: Volume II: 1914-1967, I Dream a World (Life of Langston Hughes, 1941-1967)
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ASIN: 0195146425 |
Amazon.com
Rampersad, one of our foremost African-American scholars, is an apt biographer for Hughes (1902-67), our greatest black poet. I, Too, Sing America (volume 1) covers the years during which Hughes produced his best work and was most politically active; I Dream a World (volume 2) chronicles his artistic decline due to overwork in= response to perpetual financial difficulties. Both volumes are psychologically astute, critically penetrating and masterful in their intermingling of Hughes' story with a chronicle of the enormous changes that took place in black America during his lifetime.
Book Description
February 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 Library, and featuring fifty illustrations per volume, this anniversary edition will offer a new generation of readers entrance to the life and mind of one of the twentieth century's greatest artists.
Customer Reviews:
An Excellent Read.......2005-04-06
Long before the advent of the 1960's motto of black pride and black beauty, there was Langston Hughes who championed and celebrated black pride and black beauty, both African and black American, at the height racial inequality in the United States.
The two definitive biographies of Langston Hughes are written by Faith Berry, LANGSTON HUGHES: BEFORE AND BEYOND HARLEM, and, the two by Arnold Rampersad's, THE LIFE OF LANGSTON HUGHES VOLS. 1 AND 2. For those able to do it, I would recommend reading Berry's biography first and then DEFINITLY follow it by reading Rampersad two exquisite biographies of Hughes. Reading the two is the only real way to get a complete and accurate picture of Langston Hughes. Both books briefly address Hughes family background which isn't unique to him alone in the black American community as those non-persons of African decent on the outside repeatedly fail to understand. Both books address Hughes' humanity despite of the racism he faced as an extremely confident and proud African-American. Both acknowledge Hughes dislike of those blacks like Toomer ashamed of being black and their African heritage. Both reveal his living through all the moments in early 20th century American history like the Harlem Renaissance and meeting and befriending such figures as Dubois and facing McCarthy on charges of communism while punctuated moments of his life with wanderlust in world travels. Both books address the obstacles and triumphs he faced as being only the second black American to earn a living by writing , the first being Paul Lawrence Dunbar who was also Hughes idol and influence alongside Whitman and Sandburg. Both books take care to explain how Hughes relationships with his parents and grandmother may have shadowed his other relationships in terms of his race pride and the half hearted and insincere assignations with women he was linked to.
Where the two books differ is in discussing Hughes being gay. Berry appears unbridled by prejudice in acknowledging use as gay. Rampersad, a conservative black scholar and now part executor of the Hughes estate, is too eagerly fulsome in his attempts to deny Hughes being gay along with the coded references Hughes used to describe his affections for black men in poems which are similar to those used by Whitman in describing his same sex interest. This dangerously borders the homophobic line. (** READ the recent appendix in Rampersad biography where he rightfully takes issue with being called homophobic by his critics.**) This has been the chief criticism by many of Rampersad two biographies of Hughes. The great irony is that Rampersad actually confirms Hughes being gay by indicating the price Hughes would have paid if he was openly identified as gay at the wrong time in history (even in some circles of the black community today for that matter). Plus, in volume 2 of the LIFE OF HUGHES, Rampersad is less virulent in denying Hughes being gay and pretty much comes close to acknowledging him being gay but holds back for reasons of
his own.
Moreover, Berry discusses Hughes in a straight foreword manner. Rampersad biography is almost lyrical in its historical documentation of Hughes life like a number of biographies being written these days by certain scholars. Rampersad goes into great psychological analysis of Hughes and barring certain before mentioned instances gets it right.
Passionate, cruel, Honey-lipped, syphilitic.......2004-10-22
"'The Africans looked at me and would not believe I was a Negro': ...
`You - white man'," they said. Repudiating the idea that he was not one of them,
Hughes asserted "the unity of blacks everywhere." Hughes' choice to embrace
his African-American heritage is a major theme of Rampersad's biography.
Hughes rejected his father's path and the chance to pass, to escape prejudice
and win easy acceptance as a member of Mexican society. Poetic inspiration
came from Harlem, from Jazz, and from anger at prejudice. Despite, or because of
its format, with chapters divided by years, this book made riveting summer reading.
Along the way it introduced me to wonderful poetry in the context of the life:
-----
Mercedes is a jungle-lily in a death house.
Mercedes is a doomed star.
Mercedes is a charnel rose. ... ----
AND:
Passionate, cruel,
Honey-lipped, syphilitic -
That is the South.
And I, who am black, would love her
But she spits in my face . . .
Rampersad at his best!!.......2004-09-28
This is the most complete writing on Hughes' life. Beautifully written yet very thorough. Arnold Rampersad is probably the most talented biographer alive.
A WONDERFUL BOOK!.......2000-04-27
I thought this was a very interesting book. It is VERY well written, I recomend it!
Average customer rating:
|
The Life of Langston Hughes: 2-Volume Set
Arnold Rampersad
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0195219368 |
Book Description
This two-volume biography has been universally acclaimed as the definitive life of the leading light of the Harlem Renaissance.
Average customer rating:
|
Langston Hughes: Poet of the Harlem Renaissance (African-American Biographies)
Christine M. Hill
Manufacturer: Enslow Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
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ASIN: 0894908154 |
Book Description
Langston Hughes drew poetic inspiration from the heart and soul of African-American culture. His original verse resonates with the rhythms of jazz, blues and the language of the streets. Describing the everyday lives of African Americans, Hughes became the leading African-American poet of the world.
In Langston Hughes: Poet of the Harlem Renaissance, author Christine M. Hill explores the life and career of this beloved--sometimes controversial--poet. After a lonely childhood and one unhappy year of college, Hughes educated himself by wandering the globe, searching for meaning and finding within himself the rich voice of his people. In the 1920s he returned to the United States, where he finished college and became a major figure in the flourishing arts scene in Harlem, a district of New York City. Despite a life plagued at times by loneliness, poverty, racial discrimination, and political persecution, Langston Hughes let nothing stand in the way of achieving his dream of becoming a writer. He died in 1967, but his seven volumes of poetry, as well as his short stories, hit plays, autobiographical works, and social commentary are a powerful legacy.
Amazon.com
Rampersad, one of our foremost African-American scholars, is an apt biographer for Hughes (1902-67), our greatest black poet. I, Too, Sing America (volume 1) covers the years during which Hughes produced his best work and was most politically active; Dream a World (volume 2) chronicles his artistic decline due to overwork in= response to perpetual financial difficulties. Both volumes are psychologically astute, critically penetrating and masterful in their intermingling of Hughes' story with a chronicle of the enormous changes that took place in black America during his lifetime.
Book Description
February 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. The second volume in this masterful biography finds Hughes rooting himself in Harlem, receiving stimulation from his rich cultural surroundings. Here he rethought his view of art and radicalism, and cultivated relationships with younger, more militant writers such as Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, and Amiri Bakara. Rampersad's Afterword to volume two looks further into his influence and how it expanded beyond the literary as a result of his love of jazz and blues, his opera and musical theater collaborations, and his participation in radio and television. In addition, Rempersad explores the controversial matter of Hughes's sexuality and the possibility that, despite a lack of clear evidence, Hughes was homosexual. Exhaustively researched in archival collections throughout the country, especially in the Langston Hughes papers at Yale University's Beinecke Library, and featuring fifty illustrations per volume, this anniversary edition will offer a new generation of readers entrance to the life and mind of one of the twentieth century's greatest artists.
Customer Reviews:
One of the Most Creative Minds to Grace the planet.......2005-10-17
Langston Hughes was a Poets Poet.he had words that were uplifting that took you to another time&Place.Arnold Rampersad does a great job of telling the story of Langston Hughes&showcasing the Greatness of His Writings.Langston Hughes was ahead of time&Very Gifted African-American Writer.He left behind Ground-Breaking work that still speaks volumes to this day.
Forever A Proud & Unblemished Icon!.......2005-05-11
Arnold Rampersad's LIFE OF LANGSTON HUGHES Volume 2 retains much of Hughes' evident black pride that is inescapable no matter the type of biography and critical analysis done on him and his body of work. Hughes wrote about many other things during his lifetime, but he mostly celebrated his African American culture without shame or apology.
Volume 2 picks up where the first left off. Langston Hughes is at the crossroads of a lived life. His career as a writer has stalled a bit, he has becomes disillusioned by the predominantely white left who rufuses to understand fully and acknowledge the plight of the black American, and he is ill. Eventually, his career begins to get back on track and Rampersad takes the reader along with Hughes through the rest of his life to his death in 1967. Langston reaches out to the rest of the world through his love for his fellow black Americans and their stories and concerns. He faces the McCarthy hearings successfully but with a slight change from the politcal rhetoric expressed so openly in the 1930's where he had merged racial pride with a radical socialism to insure that the left could not
exclude blacks from the agenda. He witnesses the rise of a new generation of black writers, some who pleased him and others who did not, some who loved and respected him and others who did not. He challeged them to be proud of their black American heritage in their writing but also to be objective in their evaluations. He felt the sting of some of these young black writers who felt that he was out of touch and not angry enough. And, he witnessed the return of appreciation from the outside world for his body of work and humanity. Despite a general dislike he held for white people, some wasn't as liked by him as they believed themselves to be, it never materialized into open hate as it did with many in the Black Power Movement. Rampersad provides the best example of this by recounting a moment of outright rage in Hughes where he raises his voice to express his frustration and anger toward white folks, "benevolent anger" as opposed to the "malignant anger" of many in the Black Power Movement. Hughe fully understood the error of blanketing all white people as the same in prejudice.
Arnold Rampersad depth of exhaustive research is evident in the facts he uncovers in Hughes's complicated character. And, some readers will be surprised by what they will read such as his understanding of the short comings of integration where African Americans would to a large degree abandon their own infrastructure instead of building on it to be more secure without self-segregation and imposed segregation from the outside. Rampersad presents Hughes as the human being with foibles and not just a mythic icon of African American and American literature in general. Perhaps willingly to some degree to keep money in the bank as he "sharecropped" his way through his long career, the reader will definitely come away with the knowledged that Hughes was a famous African American of his day being exploited, again to a degree, by the larger community. This is very evident in some of the working situations Hughes would have outside the black community.
Volume 2 is free of much of the rheteric that came dangerously close to blatent homophobia in Volume 1. Rampersad doesn't come out and declare Hughes as gay, but does make the surprising admission that Hughes had a preference for black men like the late Gilbert Price, and, especially dark skinned black men in his life as well as work. This dissonance between not wanting to identify Hughes as gay and Hughes's very evident preference for black men as discovered by Rampersad during his exhaustive research is pandemic among certain scholars who believe sexuality has no bearing on creativity, at lease when it comes to certain icons as Hughes is to black America. But, Rampersad isn't a homophobe and it is unfair to cast him as one. Rampersad is to be applauded for this admission that he could have conveniently suppressed but chose not to do. Kudos!!!! Rampersad comes across as wanting to declare Hughes as gay, but holds back allowing the reader to read the obvious between the lines by patently stating Hughes primary interest for other black men. Rampersad does make references to the women Hughes was only "friendly" with without the slighthest romantic interest, Hughes even going out of his way make it clear that he was not interested in them romantically. This can be attributed to the condition in the black communty where black gay men are often required to "pass" as straight (as done to the ultimate degree by fellow black gay members of the Harlem Renaissance: Countee Cullen, Wallace Thurman, and Richard Bruce Nugent).
To me, Langston Hughes was and is a hero made to order! Hughes icon status still burns bright, beautifully, and unblemished for me and his other admirers regardless of any shortcomings and prejudices outside the love for his people.
A timeless piecework of art.......2000-10-11
This book has 425 pages in. It is wonderful and full of energy. It starts with one of Hughes poems and leads you down the ailes. The book is interesting, to the point and gives you enough information to find out more about how great Hughes is. I loved reading it and it gives you so much information to help you fully get to know Mr. Hughes. It is long but worth reading every page of it. I highly recommend reading this book.
Books:
- The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes
- The Color Purple
- The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural: (Newbery Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Author Award, ALA Notable Children's Boo k) (Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner)
- The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children
- The Easy Way to Play 100 Unforgettable Hits (Reader's Digest Songbook)
- The Great Migration: An American Story
- The Interesting Narrative in the Life of Olaudah Equiano (Norton Critical Editions)
- The Italian American Heritage: A Companion to Literature and Arts (Garland Reference Library of the Humanities)
- The Lost Book of Enki: Memoirs and Prophecies of an Extraterrestrial god
- The Making of a Leader
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