Amiri Baraka Biography

Dictionary of Literary Biography on Amiri Baraka

LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka is one author who inevitably is mentioned whenever people talk about Afro-American literature. But he is also a writer who figures prominently in the development of contemporary American poetry and drama; he is not a figure who can be compartmentalized as an ethnic artist. Rising rather quickly through the literary ranks, Baraka has shown extraordinary talent in the full range of literary genres, and he has received ample praise for his poetry, drama, fiction, criticism, and social essays. He has been a successful and influential editor, a well-respected music critic, a theatre director, a social organizer, and a political leader. In short, his contributions to the community of artists and intellectuals have been major, and in spite of his withdrawal from the mainstream of American arts and letters into the black community and local theatre of Newark, New Jersey, his contributions and influences are still clearly felt and recognized.

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