(James) Langston Hughes Biography

Dictionary of Literary Biography on (James) Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes's reputation as one of the most innovative American poets may be one reason he has largely been ignored as a significant playwright. He did not primarily identify himself as a playwright, writing in a variety of literary genres. Other forces also contributed to the relative lack of recognition for Hughes's talents in the dramatic genre, such as his emphasis on writing for and about African Americans as distinct historically and culturally. White dramatic circles of American cities were anything but color-blind throughout the period of the 1930s to the 1960s, when his plays were first written and produced. Political events influenced play production a great deal during these decades: the Depression and the attendant leftist movements of the 1930s, the war years of the 1940s, the McCarthy hearings targeting entertainment personalities in the 1950s, and the political divisions of the 1960s. Yet, throughout this time, talented playwrights such as Hughes were contributing much to the vitality of Broadway and the cultural innovations Americans take for granted.

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