W. E. B. Du Bois: American Authors Challenge November 2019

W. E. B. Du Bois is an important figure in the history of sociology and civil rights in the United States. He was born in Massachusetts shortly after the end of the Civil War, and lived nearly a century (1868-1963).

Du Bois graduated from Fisk University in Tennessee, and earned advanced degrees from Harvard University. He was, in fact, the first African American to receive a PhD from Harvard. He also studied for two years at the University of Berlin. History and sociology were his fields of expertise, and he conducted research on various aspects of social life as they affected black people. He was one of the first to apply scientific methods to an examination of racism as a social system. He taught at Atlanta University for over a decade, and published what is probably his most famous work, a collection of essays titled The Souls of Black Folks. During this time he also was instrumental in establishing The Niagara Movement, an organization devoted to fighting discrimination. Later, he was a co-founder of the NAACP.
Early in his career, he had believed that social science was the key to improving relations between blacks and whites, and was committed to the cause of integration. However, he was also a black nationalist, and over time had conflicts of ideology with the NAACP, which caused him to resign his leadership and to criticize the organization for neglecting the plight of the masses by concentrating on the black “bourgeoisie”. He later returned briefly to a research position within the organization, which did not end well as he became more and more inclined to the far left, politically.

Du Bois was a prolific writer, although much of his output is of a scientific nature. He founded or edited several periodicals, including “The Crisis Magazine”, the official publication of the NAACP, which still carries his photo on its masthead. He was a staunch supporter of education and the arts, especially during the Harlem Renaissance period, which coincided with his editorship of “Crisis”, where he promoted the work of black artists and writers. His novels include Quest for the Silver Fleece and the Black Flame trilogy. He also composed poems throughout his life, many of which can be found, along with other short works, in various anthologies. There does not seem to be a collection of his poetry available. The Souls of Black Folks, as well as many other essays and articles have been collected in a Library of America volume, W. E. B. Du Bois Writings.

For nearly 50 years, Du Bois was active in the Pan-African movement, which strove to promote racial equality and combat oppression.all over the world. Near the end of his life, he joined the Communist Party, renounced his US citizenship, and moved to Ghana, where he continued work on a project that would never be completed, his proposed Encyclopedia Africana. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois died in Accra at the age of 95, a citizen of Ghana, the first African country to win its independence.

Interesting author this month! I haven't read anything by him, but am certainly aware of him and his importance.

I think I'll be reading Darkwater: Voices From Within the Veil. It is described as a mixture of essays, sketches, and poems. Sounds like just the thing.

Karen O.

Thank you for the introduction to this author Linda. I am just going to read one of his short stories that appears in an anthology I picked up this past May.

I think you must have mentioned it earlier, but for those who can't find one of his works at a library or elsewhere, project gutenberg has 10 of his works available as ebook downloads here: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/226

I own one book by Du Bois, The Quest of the Silver Fleece. I have had this on my shelf for a long time and it says that it was first published in 1911, the first novel written by a noted historian. I think I would have preferred to read something non-fiction by him since, to be honest, I have never read anything by him but since I already have this one, I will go with this.

>2 klobrien2: That does sound like a good introduction to Du Bois, Karen. I haven't read any of his work yet either.

>3 RBeffa: Thanks for that, Ron. I meant to look and see if Project Gutenberg had his work available, and got distracted by trick-or-treaters.

>4 jessibud2: I have that novel as well, Shelley. I may read it, or something from the Library of America volume, which is also on my shelves.

Just dropped Selected Writings of W E B Dubois into my cart.

I think I'll join in for this month. I have long had The Souls of Black Folks on my kindle and I'd love to read it with others to participate in discussion.

Re-reading The Souls of Black Folks...

I'm a little more than half-way through The Souls of Black Folk and it is excellent. What a lot I've learned.

"This landmark book is a founding work in the literature of black protest. W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963) played a key role in developing the strategy and program that dominated early 20th-century black protest in America. In this collection of essays, first published together in 1903, he eloquently affirms that it is beneath the dignity of a human being to beg for those rights that belong inherently to all mankind."

^Of course, I had heard of Mr. Du Bois, but I had never read him. Thanks, to Linda and the indomitable AA, I am finally getting a chance and I chose The Souls of Black Folks, probably he most famous work. I started the audio today and was immediately impressed by his, smart and beautiful prose.

It's good to see so many people picking up The Souls of Black Folks. It's where the author's strength is demonstrated. I'm about half way through his novel, Quest of the Silver Fleece. His characters are a little flat, except when they are melodramatic, and each one represents a "type". It may have reached an audience that was not reading his essays when it was originally published, but a century on it isn't a terribly good read. There aren't many subtleties or nuances in it. I will be glad to be finished with it. Literature can do a lot to further a cause, but I'm fairly sure Du Bois's contribution to society would have been just as significant if he had not ventured into the realm of fiction. Crusaders seldom make great novelists, I suppose.

>11 laytonwoman3rd: - That's the book I had on my shelf, too, Linda, but I have not yet got to it, due to other commitments and I don't see it on the horizon. I may just pass and try to get myself a copy of The Souls of Black Folks, which sounds much better.

>12 jessibud2: Also, since The Souls of Black Folks is a collection of essays, it's easy to read one now, and one later, and if you don't finish the whole thing at least you feel like you completed something.

I read a Dubois story from a recent anthology that turned out to be much better than I expected. It is called The Comet and dates to 1920 and was included in Dubois' volume of autobiography Darkwater: Voices From Within the Veil. This would seem to be a pretty rare early science fiction story dealing with race relations and is above the quality I generally find in pulp fiction of the era. I thought it was very well done and it goes to pains to let you know the situation on what is expected of one's race. A black man and a privileged white woman seem to be the sole survivors in Manhattan after the earth passes through the tail of a new comet. Reminded me a bit of a movie I have not seen in half a century - The World The Flesh and the Devil.

>14 RBeffa: Interesting...I didn't know Du Bois wrote anything like that. As I get further into The Quest of the Silver Fleece I think what I'm objecting to most is that there is so much political scheming in it, and I find that tedious. The writing is not bad, and I may be short-changing it as a novel when it just isn't my cup of tea.

>14 RBeffa: >15 laytonwoman3rd: "The Comet" is available online at Gutenberg https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15210/15210-h/15210-h.htm#Chapter_X

The Souls of Black Folk by W.E. B. Du Bois 4.2 stars

“The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line.”

“America is not another word for opportunity to all her sons.”

This is my introduction into W.E.B. Dubois and what a fine place to start. This essay collection was written in 1903 but still feels as fresh and relevant, (maybe, even more so) as it was then. He discusses the many indignities of slavery and the racial injustices that continued through his day. I think this is essential reading for anyone interested in learning more about slavery and the African-American struggle, which continues, unabated, in 2019.

Thanks again, Linda, for the opportunity to read this one.

>16 RBeffa: Thanks for that link, Ron.

>17 msf59: Even though the month is winding down, I think I'll try to get to The Souls of Black Folks before the end of the year...Du Bois IS essential, as you say, and I'm sorry not to have read his work before now.

I'm going to be behind again... there are at least two books from the AAC authors this year I have and didn't get to, including Du Bois, so maybe in December I'll catch up.

>19 Caroline_McElwee: Or maybe you'll be distracted by Marilynne Robinson, whose thread is now up!

>20 laytonwoman3rd:, I'm ahead of the game for December Linda, I'm half through Housekeeping which has been on the shelf for years, the only of her novels I've not yet read.

>21 Caroline_McElwee: Excellent! Housekeeping is very different from her other novels, isn't it?