Wallace Thurman
Born August 16, 1902
Salt Lake City, Utah
Died December 21, 1934
New York, New York
American novelist, playwright, editor, essayist, short story writer, and poet
Editor of the daring one-issue literary magazine Fire!!, Wallace Thurman was also a talented writer.
One of the most active, energetic, and multitalented participants in the Harlem Renaissance, Wallace Thurman was considered a leader of the group of young writers and artists who formed its most daring core. In addition to his own literary works, Thurman contributed to the movement through his editorial efforts and his sometimes biting—or even bitter—criticism of its excesses. Central to his work and, indeed, to his own personal life was the issue of color-consciousness and prejudice within African American society: Thurman felt that many blacks looked down upon those among them with the darker shades of skin (including himself). Despite his impressive achievements, Thurman always doubted his own talents; his death at the age of only thirty-two made him an even more tragic figure.
Reading and Writing at an Early Age
Thurman was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, a city with a very small African American community. His father, Oscar, left the family when Thurman was very young (Thurman met him only once again, much later in life), and his mother, Beulah, had five other husbands during her lifetime.
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