The Poets and Writers of the Harlem Renaissance :: Authors

The Poets and Writers of the Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was a great time of achievement for the black poets and writers of the 1920s and early '30s. Many had a hard life living in the Harlem district of New York city. The foundations of this movement were laid in the social and political thought of the early 20th century. One of the most famous of these black political leaders was W.E.B. DuBois. DuBois was the editor of the influential magazine "The Crisis." In this magazine he repeatedly rejected the notion that blacks could achieve social equality by following white ideals and standards. He strongly strove for the renewal of black racial pride through increased emphasis on their African culture and heritage. Langston Hughes, another writer of the Harlem Renaissance, is known and remembered for writing during the movement, but not being guided by a common literary purpose. The only issue that greatly influenced his writings was his own experiences with being an African American. Langston Jughes poems and writings realistically depicted the life of black Americans. These were lives and situations many people outside their race knew nothing about. His work was of high quality and won a favorable reception from the major publishing houses, who were willing to promote his writings only for commercial reasons. Many of these publishing houses stressed their notion of Harlem as an alien, but also as an exotic and unknown place of strange new wonders. During the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes had four major writings that promoted the African Negritude Movement. The first was a critical essay entitled "The Negro Artist and the Racial Movement," which discussed the excitement of this time period. Later, he would write "The Big Sea," an autobiography stating the hardships in his life due to his race. The other two influentioal writings of Hughes, was his two poems, "The Weary Blues" and "Fine Clothes to the Jew." Both were experimental in content and form, which made Jughes leary of their acceptance. Fortunately, they both were accepted and provided a much needed strength to the movement. Langston Hughes is greatly remembered for his genius for merging the comic and the pathetic. His works also influenced many humorists and satirists. But of all his gifts to society, his most enduring was his belief in the commonality of all cultures and the universality of human suffering.