The works of Richard Wright (1908-1960), politically sophisticated and socially involved African American author, are notable for their passionate sincerity. He was perceptive about the universal problems that plague mankind. Richard Wright was born in...

Any serious discussion of the development of black fiction in modern American literature must include Richard Wright. He was the first black novelist to describe the plight of the urban masses and the first to present this material in the naturalistic...

Any serious discussion of the development of black fiction in modern American literature must include Richard Wright . He was the first black novelist to describe the plight of the urban masses and the first to present this material in the naturalistic...

Once at the center of African-American culture—chosen by the Schomburg Collection poll as one of the "twelve distinguished Negroes" of 1939, recipient of the Spingarn Medal in 1941 (then the highest award given by the NAACP), and...

Richard Nathaniel Wright (September 4, 1908 – November 28,1960) was an African-American author of powerful, sometimes controversial novels, short stories and non-fiction. Much of his literature concerned racial...

A polygamous sect leader on Friday refused to divulge the location of an ex-follower's wife and child, an attorney said.Warren Jeffs was questioned by attorneys for Wendell Musser in the Washington County jail, but provided no substantive information, attorney Roger Hoole said."He pulled out a...

His new memoir, YellowBlack, fuses street riffs, poetry, ruminations, and vignettes to collage the first twenty-one years of his life, the crucial period that eventually determined his life’s path. Written disjointedly, Madhubuti conjures up the sound of Miles Davis, the acuity of Richard Wright, the...

George Orwell, Arthur Miller and Bertrand Russell have been among its contributors. Influential texts have included Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's then-secret denunciation of Stalin and the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter From a Birmingham Jail."The New Leader, founded in 1924, is a chronically underfunded...

George Orwell, Arthur Miller and Bertrand Russell have been among its contributors. Influential texts have included Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's then-secret denunciation of Stalin and the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter From a Birmingham Jail."The New Leader, founded in 1924, is a chronically underfunded...

In the following essay, Hakutani chronicles Wright's interest in the haiku during his later years, contending that his experiments with this poetic form “poignantly express a desire to transcend social and racial differences and a need to find union and harmony with nature.”

In the following essay, Joyce surveys the critical reception to Wright's work, focusing on interpretations of his novel Native Son.

In the following essay, Harris investigates the role of African American women in Native Son.

In Richard Wright's life, as reflected in his autobiography Black Boy, parents and society were the two most influential elements that inspired him to success. Even though he encountered many difficulties during his childhood, he eventually straightened things up and became a famous writer. Remarkably, no matter how bad the situation of one's life is, one's soul is the most important aspect to being successful.