Langston Hughes (1902–1967)
Author of The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes
About the Author
Langston Hughes, February 1, 1902 - May 22, 1967 Langston Hughes, one of the foremost black writers to emerge from the Harlem Renaissance, was born on February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Mo. Hughes briefly attended Columbia University before working numerous jobs including busboy, cook, and steward. While show more working as a busboy, he showed his poems to American poet Vachel Lindsay, who helped launch his career. He soon obtained a scholarship to Lincoln University and had several works published. Hughes is noted for his depictions of the black experience. In addition to the black dialect, he incorporated the rhythms of jazz and the blues into his poetry. While many recognized his talent, many blacks disapproved of his unflattering portrayal of black life. His numerous published volumes include, "The Weary Blues," "Fine Clothes to the Jew," and "Montage of a Dream Deferred." Hughes earned several awards during his lifetime including: a Guggenheim fellowship, an American Academy of Arts and Letters Grant, and a Spingarn Medal from the NAACP. Langston Hughes died of heart failure on May 22, 1967. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: From Wikipedia. Langston Hughes photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1936.
Series
Works by Langston Hughes
The Best Short Stories by Black Writers, 1899-1967: The Classic Anthology (1967) — Editor; Contributor — 170 copies
The Sweet and Sour Animal Book (The Iona and Peter Opie Library of Children's Literature) (1994) 142 copies
Remember Me to Harlem: The Letters of Langston Hughes and Carl Van Vechten, 1925-1964 (2001) 111 copies
The Best Short Stories by Black Writers, 1899-1967; Children of the Night: The Best Short Stories by Black Writers,… (2002) — Editor — 39 copies
On the Road 32 copies
Poems from Black Africa: Ethiopia, South Rhodesia, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Kenya, Gabon,… (1963) 30 copies
Langston Hughes and the *Chicago Defender*: Essays on Race, Politics, and Culture, 1942-62 (1995) 14 copies
The Novels: Not Without Laughter and Tambourines to Glory (Collected Works of Langston Hughes, Vol 4) (2001) 12 copies
Essays on Art, Race, Politics, and World Affairs (Collected Works of Langston Hughes, Vol 9) (2002) 7 copies
Works for Children and Young Adults: Poetry, Fiction, and Other Writing (Collected Works of Langston Hughes, Volume 11) (2003) 7 copies
The Translations: Frederico García Lorca, Nicolás Guillén, and Jacques Roumain (Collected Works of… (2003) 6 copies
Works for Children and Young Adults: Biographies (Collected Works of Langston Hughes, Vol 12) (2001) 6 copies
The Plays to 1942: Mulatto to the Sun Do Move (Collected Works of Langston Hughes, Vol 5) (2002) 5 copies
Sunrise is Coming After a While 4 copies
Mule Bone [sound recording] — Librettist — 4 copies
A new song 4 copies
Langston Hughes Reads: One Way Ticket, the Negro Speaks of Rivers, the Klu Klux Klan and Other of His Poems/Audio… (1992) 4 copies
Shakespeare in Harlem 3 copies
Not Without Laughter in Slipcase 2 copies
Poetry 2 copies
Theme for English B 2 copies
Anthology of Black poets 2 copies
Dear lovely death 2 copies
Scholastic Literacy Place, ESL / ELD Poster, Grade 1, Creative Expression: Imagine That! "April Rain Song" from The… (1995) 2 copies
“Freedom [I] “ (Democracy) 1 copy
Grandpa's Stories 1 copy
“Florida Road Workers” 1 copy
ALABAMA'DA ŞAFAK 1 copy
“Silhouette” 1 copy
“Madam’s Calling Cards” 1 copy
“Madam and Her Madam” 1 copy
“Vagabonds” 1 copy
“Note on Commercial Theatre” 1 copy
“Visitors to the Black Belt” 1 copy
“Genius Child” 1 copy
“Song for a Dark Girl” 1 copy
“Mulatto” 1 copy
“Mother to Son” 1 copy
5 Plays By Langston Hughes - 1 copy
“Good Morning, Stalingrad” 1 copy
“Ku Klux Klan” 1 copy
“Ma Lord” 1 copy
Dream Deferred 1 copy
Lincoln University poets: centennial anthology [1854-1954] — Editor — 1 copy
Mother to Son 1 copy
What The Negro Wants 1 copy
The Poetry of the Negro 1 copy
“Too Blue” 1 copy
Hellen Keller 1 copy
Harlem Sweeties 1 copy
Coffee Break 1 copy
To You 1 copy
My America 1 copy
Gehört-gelesen 1 copy
Taiyō = The sun 1 copy
Bu shi mei you xiao di 1 copy
In Time of Silver Rain 1 copy
Dreams 1 copy
City 1 copy
Lyrics and Blues: for Carl Van Vechten's "Nigger Heaven" With Drawings by Richard Bruce Nugent (SC) (2002) 1 copy
Winter Moon 1 copy
Temptation 1 copy
Spanish Blood 1 copy
Ismerkedjünk a ritmussal 1 copy
Poesie, di Langston Hughes 1 copy
Don't You Want to Be Free? 1 copy
Langston Hughes papers 1 copy
Mulato drama en dos partes 1 copy
Harlemský zpěvník 1 copy
Hughes Poetry 1 copy
Harlem (A Dream Deferred) 1 copy
Poesie 1 copy
Associated Works
Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama (1995) — Contributor, some editions — 901 copies
American Poetry: The Twentieth Century, Volume Two: E. E. Cummings to May Swenson (2000) — Contributor — 394 copies
The 50 Funniest American Writers: An Anthology of Humor from Mark Twain to The Onion (2011) — Contributor — 237 copies
From Totems to Hip-Hop: A Multicultural Anthology of Poetry Across the Americas 1900-2002 (2002) — Contributor — 171 copies
The Lincoln Anthology: Great Writers on His Life and Legacy from 1860 to Now (2008) — Contributor — 150 copies
Poetry Speaks Expanded: Hear Poets Read Their Own Work from Tennyson to Plath (2007) — Contributor — 147 copies
The Children's Treasury: Best Loved Stories and Poems from Around the World (1987) — Contributor — 144 copies
The Graphic Canon, Vol. 3: From Heart of Darkness to Hemingway to Infinite Jest (2013) — Contributor — 141 copies
An American Album: One Hundred and Fifty Years of Harper's Magazine (2000) — Contributor — 129 copies
Black Like Us: A Century of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual African American Fiction (2002) — Contributor — 115 copies
Writing New York: A Literary Anthology (Expanded 10th-Anniversary Edition) (2008) — Contributor — 92 copies
Black Ink: Literary Legends on the Peril, Power and Pleasure of Reading and Writing (2018) — Contributor — 66 copies
Bearing Witness: Selections from African-American Autobiography in the Twentieth Century (1991) — Contributor — 66 copies
Lapham's Quarterly - Lines of Work: Volume IV, Number 2, Spring 2011 (2011) — Contributor — 29 copies
Dare to be Different - A Cebration Of Freedom In association With Amnesty International (1999) — Contributor — 13 copies
Oogst der tijden : keur uit de werken van schrijvers en dichters aller volken en eeuwen (1940) — Contributor — 10 copies
Many-Colored Fleece: An Anthology of Twentieth-Century Catholic Fiction (2022) — Contributor — 9 copies
Our lives : American labor stories — Contributor — 6 copies
Cricket Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 4, December 1973 — Contributor — 4 copies
Discovering Fiction Level 2 Student's Book: A Reader of North American Short Stories (2012) — Contributor — 2 copies
Poker! / De Turkey and De Law / Lawing and Jawing / Forty Yards / Woofing (2008) — Contributor — 1 copy
Cuba Libre — Translator, some editions — 1 copy
A Caravan of Music Stories by the World's Great Authors — Contributor — 1 copy
Our Souls Have Grown Deep Like the Rivers: Black Poets Read Their Work — Narrator, some editions — 1 copy
African American History Collection, CD 2. The Negro in American Culture — Contributor — 1 copy
African American Literature: A Concise Anthology from Frederick Douglass to Toni Morrison (2009) — Contributor — 1 copy
Chiral Mad 5 — Contributor — 1 copy
Everything is Going to be All Right: Poems for When You Really Need Them (2021) — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Hughes, James Mercer Langston
- Birthdate
- 1902-02-01
- Date of death
- 1967-05-22
- Burial location
- Langston Hughes Auditorium, Arthur Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Harlem, New York, New York, USA (cremated)
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Joplin, Missouri, USA
- Place of death
- New York, New York, USA
- Places of residence
- Lawrence, Kansas, USA
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Westfield, New Jersey, USA - Education
- Columbia University
Lincoln University (AB|1929) - Occupations
- poet
novelist
short-story writer
playwright
children's book author
essayist (show all 10)
lyricist
translator
opera composer
librettist - Relationships
- Langston, John Mercer (great-uncle)
- Organizations
- American Academy of Arts and Letters (Literature ∙ 1961)
Authors Guild
Dramatists Guild
American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers
National Institute of Arts and Letters
PEN (show all 13)
Omega Psi Phi
Association for the Study of African American Life and History (assistant to Carter Woodson)
Chicago Defender (columnist)
The Skyloft Players (founder)
John Reed Club
League of Struggle for Negro Rights
American Peace Mobilization - Awards and honors
- Spingarn Medal, NAACP (1960)
American Academy of Arts and Letters Academy Award ( [1946])
Guggenheim Fellowship
Rosenwald Fund Fellowship
National Institute of Arts and Letters
Harmon Gold Medal for Literature (1931) (show all 11)
National Institute and American Academy of Arts and Letters grant (1947)
Langston Hughes Medal
Honorary doctorate, Howard University (1960)
LittD, Western Reserve University (1964)
Chicago Literary Hall of Fame (2012)
Members
Reviews
Lists
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 237
- Also by
- 132
- Members
- 11,925
- Popularity
- #1,966
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 433
- ISBNs
- 371
- Languages
- 6
- Favorited
- 48
- Touchstones
- 205