Summary
Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. He attended school at Columbia University but dropped out after a year to travel the world. Hughes published his first poem in 1921, and was later promoted by Vachel Lindsay. He published his first book in 1926. Hughes was not only a poet, but he was also a social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He wrote a very popular column in the Chicago Defender and is the author of countless poems. Hughes is also considered "one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art from of jazz poetry," according to The Biography Channel website. He died on May 22, 1967.
Profile
James Mercer Langston Hughes was born to James Hughes and Carrie Langston on February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. His parents separated soon after he was born, and his father relocated to Mexico to escape the racism in the United States. Hughes's mother moved around a lot when he was younger so his grandmother, Mary Patterson Langston, raised him. Mary died when Langston was in his early teens. In Langston's book I Dream a World, he states, "I was unhappy for a long time, and very lonesome, living with my grandmother. Then it was that books began to happen to me, and I began to believe in nothing but books and the wonderful world in books - where if people suffered, they suffered in beautiful language, not in monosyllables, as we did in Kansas." He then went to live with his mother in Lincoln, Illinois and later in Cleveland, Ohio when his mother remarried.
One of Langston's teachers introduced him to the poetic works of Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman when sher discovered him writing his own poetry. Hughes became a contributor to his school's literary magazine and often submitted his work to other poetry magazines. A year after graduating high school, Hughes went to Mexico to live with his father. Shortly after his arrival, Langston's poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" was published in The Crisis magazine and was highly praised among its readers. In 1921, Hughes enrolled at Columbia University where he became a part of the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes dropped out of Columbia in 1922 where he then worked around New York until he signed on as a steward on a freighter travelling in Africa and Spain. In 1924, he left the ship and lived in Paris where he continued working on his poetry.
One of Langston's teachers introduced him to the poetic works of Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman when sher discovered him writing his own poetry. Hughes became a contributor to his school's literary magazine and often submitted his work to other poetry magazines. A year after graduating high school, Hughes went to Mexico to live with his father. Shortly after his arrival, Langston's poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" was published in The Crisis magazine and was highly praised among its readers. In 1921, Hughes enrolled at Columbia University where he became a part of the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes dropped out of Columbia in 1922 where he then worked around New York until he signed on as a steward on a freighter travelling in Africa and Spain. In 1924, he left the ship and lived in Paris where he continued working on his poetry.
Career
After returning to America, Hughes met American poet Vachel Lindsay while working as a busboy in Washington D.C. Lindsay was very impressed with Hughes's poetic work and helped to promote his poetry. In 1925, Hughes's poem "The Weary Blues" won first prize in the Opportunity magazine. He also won a scholarship to attend Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. Hughes published his first book, The Weary Blues, in 1926 with the help of Carl Van Vechten. According to The Biography Channel website, "
The book had popular appeal and established both his poetic style and his commitment to black themes and heritage. Hughes was also among the first to use jazz rhythms and dialect to depict the life of urban blacks in his work." He published his second book, Fine Clothes to the Jew, in 1927. Hughes published his first novel in 1929 entitled, Not Without Laughter. Hughes wen ton tours in the United States, Japan, Haiti, and the Soviet Union.
The book had popular appeal and established both his poetic style and his commitment to black themes and heritage. Hughes was also among the first to use jazz rhythms and dialect to depict the life of urban blacks in his work." He published his second book, Fine Clothes to the Jew, in 1927. Hughes published his first novel in 1929 entitled, Not Without Laughter. Hughes wen ton tours in the United States, Japan, Haiti, and the Soviet Union.
Political Views
Hughes strongly believed in Communism as an alternative to the segregation in America. He joined a group of African-Americans who went to the Soviet Union to make a film about what it was like to be black in America. The film was never made, but Hughes got the chance to explore the Soviet Union while there. Hughes also travelled to China and Japan before returning home. He became involved in Communist-led groups and signed a statement in 1938 supporting Joseph Stalin's purges. Because of the Jim Crow laws and racial segregation, Hughes did not like the idea of African-American involvement in World War II. He then had a change of mind and began supporting the war effort and African-American involvement in hopes that it would help the civil rights movement going on at home.
