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Loading... The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes (1994)by Langston Hughes
   No current Talk conversations about this book.   ) lonetree1972 | Jun 1, 2021 |  There are many reasons that Langston Hughes is one of the finest writers in American history. He is an exemplar of power and even nuance within simplicity. He was criticized for writing "easy" poems simply because he didn't sound like the other highly educated (primarily white) poets of his time. To this today he is criticized for that, and called a communist radical for being an anti-capitalist in the early 1900s. Don't listen to the critics. And don't coast off of Hughes's reputation: perhaps you've heard of his Dream Deferred poem, but that's not enough. Truly dig into his writing, and you will find an incredible collection of musings on the American experience of oppression, imbued with bitter patriotism and pained love for community. Hughes is a titan, who dominated his era and stands as possibly the greatest artist of the Harlem Renaissance era (which is saying something, given how much great art we got from that period). One of the most fundamental struggles of analyzing American history is defining what America is. Is it the system that marginalized and killed so many? Or is it the masses of people who were marginalized and killed by it, fighting for something better? In other words, is America the institution of slavery, or is it the slaves themselves, who fought to be part of American society? Langston Hughes would tell you the latter, as he fought for black writers to be accepted into the literary canon. He succeeded. Langston Hughes is one of the peaks of American literature, and should be treated as such. This collection is a goliath, there is no reason to read it cover to cover. But if you enjoy reading, pick it up, and every once and a while read through a few pages. There's enough genius here to last a lifetime. (  ) MaxAndBradley | May 27, 2020 |  ) evil_cyclist | Mar 16, 2020 |  ) unclebob53703 | Feb 19, 2016 | "Hold Fast to Dreams" is a poem about how important dreams are and why we should never let them go. Personal reaction: This has always been my favorite poem. It taught me to keep dreams alive. Classroom extension ideas: 1. Research African American poets. 2. Share other figures from the Harlem Renassiance MarissaWilliams | Nov 18, 2013 | no reviews | add a review
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"The ultimate book for both the dabbler and serious scholar. -- [Hughes] is sumptuous and sharp, playful and sparse, grounded in an earthy music -- This book is a glorious revelation." -- Boston Globe Spanning five decades and comprising 868 poems (nearly 300 of which have never before appeared in book form), this magnificent volume is the definitive sampling of a writer who has been called the poet laureate of African America--and perhaps our greatest popular poet since Walt Whitman. Here, for the first time, are all the poems that Langston Hughes published during his lifetime, arranged in the general order in which he wrote them and annotated by Arnold Rampersad and David Roessel. Alongside such famous works as "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" and Montage of a Dream Deferred, The Collected Poems includes the author's lesser-known verse for children; topical poems distributed through the Associated Negro Press; and poems such as "Goodbye Christ" that were once suppressed. Lyrical and pungent, passionate and polemical, the result is a treasure of a book, the essential collection of a poet whose words have entered our common language. No library descriptions found. |
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