Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611

  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
The Black Cultural Front: Black Writers and Artists of the Depression Generation

The Black Cultural Front: Black Writers and Artists of the Depression Generation

Dolinar, Brian

Paperback

Series: Margaret Walker Alexander African American Studies

Literary CriticismBlack American StudiesGeneral Sociology

ISBN10: 1628461713
ISBN13: 9781628461718
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Published: Aug 6 2014
Pages: 277
Weight: 0.94
Height: 0.65 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
How the aftermath of the Great Depression convinced several African American writers to adopt a leftist outlook The Black Cultural Front describes how the social and political movements that grew out of the Depression facilitated the left turn of several African American artists and writers. The Communist-led John Reed Clubs brought together black and white writers in writing collectives. The Congress of Industrial Organizations' effort to recruit black workers inspired growing interest in the labor movement. One of the most concerted efforts was made by the National Negro Congress, a coalition of civil rights and labor organizations, which held cultural panels at its national conferences, fought segregation in the arts, promoted cultural education, and involved writers and artists in staging mass rallies during World War II. This book examines the formation of a black cultural front by looking at the works of poet Langston Hughes, novelist Chester Himes, and cartoonist Ollie Harrington. While none of these writers were card-carrying members of the Communist Party, they all participated in the Left during their careers. Interestingly, they all turned to creating popular culture in order to reach the black masses who were captivated by movies, radio, newspapers, and detective novels. There are chapters on Hughes's Simple stories, Himes's detective fiction, and Harrington's Bootsie cartoons. Collectively, the experience of these three figures contributes to the story of a long movement for African American freedom that flourished during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Yet this book also stresses the impact that McCarthyism had on dismantling the Black Left and how it affected each individual involved. Each was radicalized at a different moment and for different reasons. Each suffered for their past allegiances, whether fleeing to the haven of the Black Bank in Paris, or staying home and facing the House Un-American Activities Committee. Yet the lasting influence of the Depression in their work was evident for the rest of their lives. Brian Dolinar teaches in the Department of African American Studies at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. His articles have appeared in Langston Hughes Review, Southern Quarterly, and Studies in American Humor.

1 different editions

Also available

Also in

Black American Studies

View All