James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright and columnist from Joplin Missouri. He was born on February 1, 1901 and died on May 22, 1967 at the age of 66. He attended the Columbia University, in New York City. He did drop out but eventually graduated from Lincoln University.
Hughes worked at various odd jobs, before serving a brief tenure as a crewman aboard the S.S Malone in 1923, spending six months travelling to West Africa and Europe. Hughes spent several years in Europe and on his return to the United States, he worked as a personal assistant to historian Carter g. Woodson at the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
In 1921, what will be known as Hughes signature poem was published in The Crisis magazine. The name of the poem was “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” was collected in his first book of poetry The Weary Blues (1926). His life and work were enormously influential during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920’s. His poetry and fiction portrayed the lives of the working-class blacks in America, lives he portrayed as full of struggle, joy, laughter and music.
In 1930, his first novel, “Not Without Laughter” won the Harmon Gold Medal for literature. Hughes’ first collection of short stories was published in 1934 with ‘The Ways of the White”. These stories are a series of vignettes revealing the humorous and tragic interactions between whites and blacks. In 1935, Hughes received a Guggenheim Fellowship. Hughes was a very brilliant writer, he wrote many short stories, plays, poetry, operas, essays and works for children.
To learn more about Langston Hughes you can visit his website http://www.langstonhughessociety.org/
My interview question for Langston Hughes
- How difficult was it growing up coming from such a multicultural/multiracial background?
- What was your experience living in Europe, no family or friends?
- Tell me some more about your trip to the Soviet Union, the purpose was to make a film which never materialized.
- You collected the Harmon Gold Medal for literature, can you tell us what that meant to you and for your career?
- What advise would you give to young writers?