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The Life and Times of Langston Hughes
Harlem was the place he frequented the most, and became known by other writers of that time when his poem “The Weary Blues” won first place in the poetry section of the 1925 Opportunity magazine, for all intents and purposes his literary career officially began. His first volume of poetry, again titled “The Weary Blues” was published in 1926 and he had started writing poems as songs in a jazz style, the dominate music of that time, which definitely separated him from other poets. In 1926 Hughes also went back to college. He attended historically black Lincoln University in Pennsylvania on a scholarship. At this point in Hughes life he was coming into his own identity, he never married which put his sexuality in question and his different political views started to form. He favored communism, rather than the racial prejudice African American’s faced here in the states. He was asked to come to the Soviet Union to make a film documenting the African American experience in the U.S.; however, the film was never completed. He also made the decision to denounce Christianity and was an atheist, which for African Americans during that time was a break from tradition. Most believed that what advances in civil rights they had seen to that point were contributed to their faith in God. That night in his story “Salvation” after Hughes got home from church with his aunt, for the first time since he turned twelve cried. He cried because he didn’t want his aunt to know that he lied about seeing Jesus. Hughes didn’t want her to know he didn’t believe in Jesus; he refers to this moment as “the day I was saved from sin. But not really saved” (Hughes). He would also later in life write in a poem “Goodbye, Christ Jesus Lord God Jehovah, beat it on away from here now. Make way for a new guy with no religion at all —a real guy named Marx Communist Lenin Peasant Stalin Worker ME — I said, ME!”(Hughes). For the times, these were shocking words for an African American. There is no way to say for sure, but his religious beliefs could be the reason you don’t hear his name as a major contributor in the civil rights movement, even though he was an advocate for the cause. Many writers today believe you can see the influences of Hughes’s writings, in the writings of Dr. Martin Luther King’s, now famous “I Have a Dream” speech (NNDB).
From his first book to his time of his death in 1967, he authored more than 50 literary works covering all genres: poetry, fiction, autobiography, children’s books, opera, and drama, and is considered one of the most influential poets of the twentieth century. His work more often than not reflected the world around him, and the conflicts he faced within throughout his life. Even though Hughes never became wealthy as a writer, he was one of very few poets who were able to support themselves by their writing. His ashes were put beneath a floor medallion in the middle of the foyer in the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. As a writer it’s evident he displayed exceptional creative ability in the arts. Studied primarily in academic circles, its possible most African Americans don’t realize his contributions to the overall equality of the race. He proved through his writing that an African American could cross over to a mainstream audience, which ultimately opened doors for others to follow.
Work Cited
"Harlem Renaissance." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, 16 Apr. 2015. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem_Renaissance>.
"Langston Hughes Biography." Langston Hughes African-American Writer, Poet, Kansan. Kansas Heritage Group, 19 Jan. 1994. Web. 27 Apr. 2015. <http://www.kansasheritage.org/>.
"Langston Hughes." NNDB. Soylent Communications, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.<http://www.nndb.com/people/111/000032015/>.
Hughes, Langston. "Salvation.” The Literature Network Forums, 20 Feb. 2012. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.