Amiri Baraka, who was born Everett LeRoi Jones in Newark, New Jersey in 1934, has been one of the strongest African-American voices for political change in the last thirty years. The son of Coyette ("Coyt") LeRoi Jones, and Anna Lois Jones, Baraka is widely recognized as a leading playwright, poet, essayist, and cultural historian as well. By his own account, Baraka cultivated his imagination as a child in playgrounds and on the streets of Newark, as well as from comic books and radio, which he listened to regularly. His favorite shows included The Lone Ranger, Sam Spade, Inner Sanctum, I Love a Mystery, The Shadow, Let's Pretend, and Escape. From these he developed strong images of evil and the heroes who defeated evil. These images later formed a central part of his writing, both in his.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 452 words. This
study guide contains 8,750 words (approx. 29 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our In Memory of Radio Access Pass.
