| Langston Hughes (1902 – 1967) was the most influential and innovative of the writers associated with the Harlem Renaissance, and his prolific output included volumes of poetry, as well as novels, short stories, plays, children’s books, biographies, two autobiographies, histories, opera librettos, essays, articles, radio scripts, and songs for musicals. He also translated works from Spanish and French, and edited several anthologies. Hughes was the first black writer to make a living entirely from his writing, and a vital inspiration and mentor for many young black writers of the 1960s. |