Langston Hughes

Looking for a great starting point to research Hughes online? Here is Hughes's page at the American Academy of Poets site, where you'll find biographical information, a photograph, a bibliography, and several Hughes related links.

Doing a research paper on Hughes? Are you simply hungry for more information? Here's a biography of Hughes from the University of Kansas that goes into greater detail than the one above. You'll find some good links there, too.

Here's a photo of Hughes from the Smithsonian, taken in 1939 by Carl Van Vetchen, an early champion of the Harlem Renaissance. Vetchen was prominent in the white literary establishment at the time this photograph was made.

To put Hughes into a historical context you have to become familiar with the history of Harlem. Here is a timeline with photos revolving around Harlem in the first half of the last century. It's a good place to start your historical journey.

If you'd like more on the social history of Harlem in this era, here is a tour of "Harlem After Dark" in the 1920s.

The artistic movement Hughes was most closely associated with is called the Harlem Renaissance. (He was sometimes called the "poet laureate of Harlem.") Want an online introduction? Here's an overview of the Harlem Renaissance.

The prominent figures of the Harlem Renaissance were not exclusively men. These links featuring women active in the Harlem Renaissance will help make your understanding of the movement more complete.

Here is Hughes's influential poem "Dream Deferred" in e-text. Can you find the phraseA Raisin in the Sunanywhere else online?

Here are "Jazzonia" online and some related links. Can you make some links between Hughes's poetry and music?

For further reading here are "Justice" and "Still Here" in e-text. How are they thematically similar to the work found in your textbook? How are they different?