The epitome of the Harlem Renaissance literary movement is Langston Hughes’ contributions. His uprising as the embodiment of artistic African American expression follows the traditional tale of hardships at youth before paving the road of the Harlem Renaissance. For much of his life, he was discouraged by family and society, but his willpower to write propelled him to be perhaps the most widely known author of the Harlem Renaissance.
Langston Hughes’ ancestry was heavily involved in the abolition movement, so he was already in a disposition to express hardships of minorities. Hughes’ maternal grandmother’s first husband died while fighting for John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. Her second husband, Hughes’ grandfather, was a “militant abolitionist” (Rampersad). While growing up, Hughes’ grandmother forbade Hughes from playing outside with classmates after school. The only alternative past time was to do homework (Reuben). His later writing reflected the efforts he spent on school work versus playing with his classmates after school.
In high school, Hughes began writing poetry and a few of his poems were published in the school’s magazine. He sent a few poems to national magazines but most publishers replied with rejections, with the exception of The Liberator. Shortly afterwards, the NAACP sponsored The Brownie’s Book magazine published two of Hughes’ poems, “Winter Sweetness” and “Fairies,” and “a prose description of Mexican games” (Reuben). Hughes’ initial recognition was noted by W. E. B. Du Bois. This was a monumental step for Hughes’ career. When Hughes moved on to college, he faced more pressure and criticism than he had ever faced. Hughes’ father was disappointed that the magazines were not paying Hughes for his writing. Hughes was admitted to Columbia University, but his peers disowned him for his race (Reuben).
In 1922, after Hughes’ first year of college, he became a sailor. Before he left, though, Hughes published numerous “poetry, literature, and plays.” While at sea, Hughes changed his emphasis on poetry and threw all but one of his books into the ocean. During his time as a sailor, Hughes visited Africa and Europe (Reuben). Hughes took a job as a firefighter in Africa and lived in Paris for two years (Rampersad). Upon his return, the works he published before leaving made him “well known in African American literary circles as a gifted young poet” (Rampersad). Hughes returned to college at Lincoln University and graduated in 1929. There, he met Charlotte Mason who helped guide Hughes to write his first novel, Not Without Laughter.
His relationship with Mason ended after Not Without Laughter was published. Hughes soon became depressed and decided to visit the Soviet Union for two years. He became involved with left wing politics subsequently. Hughes then wrote a collection of short stories, The Ways of White Folks, which was marked by “pessimism about race relations” and “sardonic realism” (Rampersad). He then began to write first play, Mulatto, which would turn out to be the “longest running Broadway play by an African American author” (Reuben). It was performed on Broadway 373 times (Langston).
When American entered World War II, Hughes published the first volume of his autobiography, The Big Sea. When the war ended, Hughes released two additional books. Concurrently, Senator Joseph McCarthy was on a hunt for communist spies in America. Hughes was a suspect because he visited the Soviet Union nearly twenty years prior. However, such accusations did not bane Hughes’ career. After McCarthy lost reputation from publically attacking the US Army, Hughes wrote about his experience in the Soviet Union in I Wonder as I Wander.
In the 1950s, Hughes expanded his literary horizon despite his prior conviction to poetry. Kurt Weill and Elmer Rice picked Hughes to write the lyrics to “Street Scene.” This production was “hailed as a breakthrough in the development of American opera” (Rampersad). Later on, Hughes would further inflate his reach to writing children’s books. The 1960s civil rights movement split his audience after publishing his “book-length poem ‘Ask Your Mama.’” Hughes died in New York City on May 22, 1967.
Langston Hughes’ poems expressed the African American culture ranging from “the joys of ghetto life” to the “spirited language resembling the colloquial speech” of African Americans. His poetry followed an unorthodox route by approaching poetry with music. His lyrics were rhythmic and he followed the “traditions of black culture.” Hughes also created the character Simple for the Chicago Defender which related to many African youth of the time. Simple spoke vernacularly which masked his true knowledge and judgment (Langston). Simple ties back to his childhood when his grandmother kept him inside to do school work. He is likely an embodiment of his grandmother. His demeanor was never aggressive and his knowledge and judgment knew what was best for the future.
The Harlem Renaissance was the first time major publishers and literary critics recognized the works by African Americans, and Langston Hughes was at the center of the flourish. All writers of this literary era had the common goal of “giving artistic expression to the African American experience” (Wintz). The diversity of the works was also a big factor in defining the Harlem Renaissance.
Langston Hughes wrote in many genres, but he is best known for his poetry. From his first poem titled, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” to his later fame as a dominant figure in the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes is forever embalmed in the face of American literature for his “artistic expression to the African American experience” (Wintz).