Form and Content
Milton Meltzer, who had collaborated with Hughes on two historical surveys, writes Langston Hughes: A Biography as a friend and admirer of this literary figure. He presents a simplified narrative of Hughes’s life in order to make the writer a model for young people, especially African-American youths, who are interested in poetry and literature of all types. This point of view is in keeping with Hughes’s insistence upon being viewed as an African-American writer, rather than as a color-blind writer.
Meltzer remains true to the writer’s vision of himself throughout the book, as revealed when this work is compared with Hughes’s own autobiographies, The Big Sea: An Autobiography (1940) and I Wonder as I Wander: An Autobiographical Jour-ney (1956). This biography develops a straightforward, chronological narrative in twenty-three chapters. The book ends with a summary of Hughes’s multifaceted achievement and places him in context for young readers. The introduction explains Meltzer’s familiarity with Hughes, and the acknowledgments at the end reveal the scholarly sources that reinforce and authenticate this personal knowledge. The bibliography is devoted almost exclusively to Hughes’s works but includes four earlier biographies published before Hughes died.
As a biographer, Meltzer maintains his focus on the boy who showed his writing talent early and insisted upon writing as his real vocation, regardless of the kind of jobs that he was forced to take in order to support himself and his mother. Langston’s personal experiences helping Auntie Reed around the farm, cleaning up hotel spittoons, working at a soda fountain, and feeling alienated from his father during a short stay in Mexico provided material that was to show up later in poetic form. Earning enough money to live on and to contribute to the support of his family often conflicted with Langston’s desire to finish high school and attend college. The first half of the book reveals how he was becoming a published poet and a semiprofessional writer even before he finished college.
From the time that Hughes became involved with Dr. Alain Locke and the other African-American writers of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920’s, he was a controversial figure. He won prizes and gained recognition primarily in the African-American literary world, even though the more academically inclined critics and reviewers, both black and white, could not place him in a niche. Although he remained consistently a poet, Hughes was always testing his ability in works of fiction and innovative poetic forms. He was constantly criticized throughout his life for incorporating street language, dialect, and the idioms and attitudes of uneducated people into his works. Yet Meltzer shows that, in spite of the criticism, Hughes was generally beloved by the African-American public and was considered by many segments of society to be a kind of bard or spokesperson for the struggles and the celebrations of African-American life.
Setting
Richard Wright once observed that Langston Hughes adhered to a philosophy of "ceaseless movement," an insight presumably sparked by Hughes's own assertion that "six months in one place is long enough to make one's life complicated." The title of the second installment of Hughes's autobiography, I Wonder as I Wander, captures the essence of his restless spirit. In Langston Hughes, Meltzer paints a vivid picture of Hughes's formative years marked by transience, with his mother shuttling between relatives in the Midwest, his father's escape to Mexico, and young Hughes being passed on to other kin when his mother could not care for him. As an adult, Hughes's perpetual journeys seemed to be a quest for a sense of belonging, a quest that was complicated...
(This entire section contains 347 words.)
Unlock this Study Guide Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
by the inherent challenges faced by a black American attempting to feel truly at home in his own country.
Hughes's decisions on where to reside often stemmed from financial necessity, yet were equally driven by a thirst for artistic exploration. Born in Missouri in 1902, Hughes's early life unfolded across Kansas City, Cleveland, and Chicago, with a brief stint living alongside his father in Mexico during Emilio Zapata's revolution. He then ventured to New York, settling in Harlem while attending Columbia University for a year. Harlem became a pivotal starting point for further travels aboard a freighter to the distant shores of Africa, France, and Italy. Following a mishap in Genoa where he lost his papers, Hughes returned to the United States on a freighter manned by a black crew, residing shortly in Washington, D.C., before enrolling at Lincoln University, fondly known as the "black Princeton," in Pennsylvania.
During his tenure at Lincoln, Hughes embarked on his inaugural visit to the South, where the harsh reality of legally enforced segregation awaited him. It was here, in Nashville, Tennessee, that Hughes gave a poetry reading, heralding the start of his illustrious career as a traveling poet. His subsequent journeys spanned Haiti, Russia, the Orient, Mexico, Los Angeles, Spain, and Chicago, each destination adding a new chapter to his extraordinary life of exploration and creativity.
Literary Qualities
Adhering to the timeless structure of biography, Meltzer embarks on a journey that follows a largely chronological path. He illuminates the early upbringing and education of Hughes, setting the stage for the shaping of his character. The narrative then gracefully transitions to the blossoming of Hughes's craft, meticulously tracing the arc of his literary journey through its varied phases of success. By artfully pairing Hughes's poetic verses with vivid accounts of the personal moments that ignited their creation, Meltzer unveils the process by which an artist weaves life into art.
The narrative's driving force offers a broad perspective on social advancement, charting Hughes's ever-expanding acclaim as a writer. Yet, it does not shy away from the challenges and obstacles that punctuated both his life and literary pursuits. Despite these setbacks, as the narrative unfolds, a spirit of optimism imbues the tale, presenting Hughes's life as a testament to an enduring and ultimately triumphant artistic endeavor.
Meltzer delivers a true-to-life portrayal of the essence and events of Hughes's existence. He begins with the chapter "Wandering" and concludes with "I Used to Wonder," employing a literary device that pays homage to Hughes's own autobiographical work, I Wonder as I Wander. Spanning twenty-three concise chapters, Meltzer's narrative comes to life with vibrant imagery and sensory richness. Among the standout scenes is the image of young Hughes perched on the front porch under a summer sky, captivated by the stars and his grandmother's tales. Equally evocative is the depiction of Hughes at his after-school job, scrubbing tobacco residue from brass spittoons in a local hotel. Another poignant scene portrays Hughes as a young man, laboriously sorting laundry in a Washington, D.C. wet-wash, striving to earn his college tuition. The introduction and postscript add layers of sincerity to the biography, cementing Meltzer's role as a devoted and affectionate companion to Hughes.
For Further Reference
Dickson, Donald C.A Bio-Bibliography of Langston Hughes, 1902-1967. Hamden, CT: Archon Books, 1967. This foundational tome serves as a key repository of insights into Hughes’s life and oeuvre, crafted during his own lifetime.
Emanuel, James A.Langston Hughes. New York: Twayne, 1967. An astute and enlightening exploration, Emanuel's work delves deeply into the fabric of Hughes’s life and literary contributions.
Hughes, Langston.The Langston Hughes Reader. New York: Braziller, 1958. A curated anthology by Hughes himself, this collection features the works he deemed worthy of preservation, complete with his insightful commentary.
O'Daniel, Therman B.Langston Hughes: Black Genius. New York: William Morrow, 1971. This comprehensive assembly of essays extends a vibrant examination of Hughes's multifaceted genius, juxtaposing him with literary stalwarts like Walt Whitman, and highlighting his prowess as a dramatist and innovator, along with his rich incorporation of African-American cultural and folk traditions.
Rampersad, Arnold.The Life of Langston Hughes. 2 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986, 1988. Celebrated as a "superlative study" by the New York Times Book Review, Rampersad's expansive two-volume biography stands as the definitive investigation into Hughes’s life and artistic legacy. The inaugural volume offers a profound analysis of Hughes’s psychological landscape and the genesis of his art, whereas the latter volume meticulously charts the trajectory of his career from 1941 until his final days.
