Paul Laurence Dunbar was the first black American to achieve national renown and acceptance as a writer and the first to become widely known among people of his own race. A prolific writer in both prose and verse, he has in recent years received increasing recognition for his novels and short stories, but it was as a poet that he won his fame and continues to be best remembered. Dunbar was the first black writer to have his work published by the establishment magazines and publishing houses, which were not only controlled by whites but also served and guided the literary tastes of an almost entirely white audience. The cost of this victory to Dunbar's talent was considerable, but, since a black reading public hardly existed in his time, it seems inevitable that his writing was shaped to suit the tastes of white readers.

Dunbar was born on...