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Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906)

Autor(a) de The Sport of the Gods

57+ Works 930 Membros 25 Críticas 4 Favorited

About the Author

Paul Laurence Dunbar was born in June 27, 1872 in Dayton, Ohio. He was the son of ex-slaves and attended school at Dayton Central High School, the only African-American in his class. Dunbar was a member of the debating society, editor of the school paper and president of the school's literary mostrar mais society. He also wrote for Dayton community newspapers. He worked as an elevator operator in Dayton's Callahan Building until he established himself locally and nationally as a writer. He published an African-American newsletter in Dayton, the Dayton Tattler, with help from the Wright brothers. Dunbar was the first African-American to gain national eminence as a poet. Oak and Ivy, his first collection, was published in 1892. As his book gained fame, Dunbar was invited to recite at the World's Fair, in 1893 where he met Frederick Douglass. Dunbar's second book, Majors and Minors, propelled him to national fame. A New York publishing firm, Dodd Mead and Co., combined Dunbar's first two books and published them as Lyrics of a Lowly Life. Dunbar then took a job at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. He found the work tiresome, however, and the library's dust contributed to his worsening case of tuberculosis. He worked there for only a year before quitting to write and recite full time. Depression and declining health drove him to drink, which further damaged his health. He continued to write, however. He ultimately produced 12 books of poetry, four books of short stories, a play and five novels. His work appeared in Harper's Weekly, the Sunday Evening Post, the Denver Post, Current Literature and a number of other magazines and journals. He died there on Feb. 9, 1906 at the age of 33. (Bowker Author Biography) mostrar menos

Obras por Paul Laurence Dunbar

The Sport of the Gods (1902) 145 exemplares
Jump Back, Honey (1845) 82 exemplares
Lyrics of Lowly Life (1896) 71 exemplares
Selected Poems [Penguin Classics] (2004) 39 exemplares
Folks from Dixie (1898) 23 exemplares
The Heart of Happy Hollow (2005) 18 exemplares
When Malindy Sings (1903) 18 exemplares
Candle-Lightin' Time (1901) 17 exemplares
The uncalled : a novel (1901) 15 exemplares
Little brown baby (1940) 12 exemplares
Poems of Cabin and Field (1899) 12 exemplares
Lyrics of the Hearthside (1899) 8 exemplares
Howdy, honey, howdy (1905) 7 exemplares
Joggin' erlong (1906) 7 exemplares
Lyrics of love and laughter (2010) 6 exemplares
Li'l' gal, (2012) 6 exemplares
Dunbar Out Loud (2006) 5 exemplares
Dunbar: Suns and Dominions (1999) 5 exemplares
The love of Landry (1969) 4 exemplares
In Old Plantation Days (1903) 4 exemplares
We Wear the Mask {poem} (2012) 3 exemplares
Oak and Ivy (2015) 2 exemplares
Sympathy 2 exemplares
The Fanatics (2001) 2 exemplares
Dunbar Poetry 1 exemplar
The Mission Of Mr. Scatters (2014) 1 exemplar
The Mystery (2016) 1 exemplar

Associated Works

The Black Poets (1983) — Contribuidor — 353 exemplares
Black Voices: An Anthology of Afro-American Literature (Mentor) (1968) — Contribuidor — 322 exemplares
African-American Poetry: An Anthology, 1773-1927 (1997) — Contribuidor — 249 exemplares
Poems Bewitched and Haunted (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets) (2005) — Contribuidor — 189 exemplares
African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle and Song (2020) — Contribuidor — 170 exemplares
American Religious Poems: An Anthology (2006) — Contribuidor — 162 exemplares
The Vintage Book of African American Poetry (2000) — Contribuidor — 142 exemplares
Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry (2009) — Contribuidor — 113 exemplares
The 100 Best African American Poems (2010) — Contribuidor — 96 exemplares
Brotherman: The Odyssey of Black Men in America (1995) — Contribuidor — 91 exemplares
Storytelling and Other Poems (1949) — Contribuidor — 90 exemplares
Rotten English: A Literary Anthology (2007) — Contribuidor — 75 exemplares
The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Concise Edition (2003) — Contribuidor — 68 exemplares
Hokum: An Anthology of African-American Humor (2006) — Contribuidor — 65 exemplares
D.C. Noir 2: The Classics (2008) — Contribuidor — 63 exemplares
American Negro Short Stories (1966) — Contribuidor — 61 exemplares
American Christmas Stories (2021) — Contribuidor — 59 exemplares
Trouble the Water: 250 Years of African American Poetry (1997) — Contribuidor — 56 exemplares
Point of Departure (1967) — Contribuidor — 46 exemplares
Poetry of Witness: The Tradition in English, 1500-2001 (2014) — Contribuidor — 42 exemplares
Soulscript: Afro-American Poetry (1970) — Contribuidor — 40 exemplares
Best Loved Short Stories of Nineteenth Century America (2003) — Contribuidor — 39 exemplares
Summer: A Spiritual Biography of the Season (2005) — Contribuidor — 37 exemplares
Spring: A Spiritual Biography of the Season (2006) — Contribuidor — 33 exemplares
I Hear a Symphony: African Americans Celebrate Love (1994) — Contribuidor — 33 exemplares
Graphic Classics: African-American Classics (2011) — Contribuidor — 31 exemplares
A Treasury of Old-Fashioned Christmas Stories (2006) — Contribuidor — 29 exemplares
American gothic : An anthology 1787–1916 (1999) — Contribuidor — 26 exemplares
The Conjure Stories [Norton Critical Edition] (2011) — Contribuidor — 20 exemplares
Fairy Poems (2023) — Contribuidor — 13 exemplares
Spring World, Awake: Stories, Poems, and Essays (1970) — Contribuidor — 9 exemplares
Bright Poems for Dark Days: An Anthology for Hope (2021) — Contribuidor — 9 exemplares
The Short Story & You (1987) — Contribuidor — 7 exemplares
Life Styles (2001) — Contribuidor — 5 exemplares
Americans All: Stories of American Life To-Day (1971) — Contribuidor — 3 exemplares
The Best of American Poetry [Audio] (1997) — Contribuidor — 1 exemplar
The Ethnic Image in Modern American Literature, 1900-1950 (1984) — Contribuidor — 1 exemplar

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Membros

Críticas

Before I resumed reading poetry from The Well-Educated Mind list, I had not heard of Paul Laurence Dunbar. But now, I consider him one of my favorite poets. Why? Because every single poem I read from the selected list produced a similar satisfaction.

His topics ranged from life, love, joy, hardship, family, race, traditions, progress, and triumph. He wrote impartially and honestly about African American experiences and traditions of the late 1800s. But the tone was all very kindred. His poems were pragmatic, true, and often cheerful. And best of all, they were musical.

Dunbar wrote many of these poems in the African American dialect, and I found it even more pleasant to hear someone else read them than for me to read them myself. In that way, they become like songs.

His life was fascinating. Born in Ohio, to two former slaves (from Kentucky), he took an interest in writing from his youth. He was the only black student of his high school class and became president of the school literary society, editor of the school newspaper, and the class poet. Orville Wright was his classmate, and helped him print a separate publication, in which Dunbar also contributed poems.

After graduation, and due to the praise from teachers and newspaper editors, Dunbar gained access to the literary world and had some of his work published. Even Orville Wright later helped finance his friend. An admiring attorney offered to pay for his college, but Dunbar rejected the offer to pursue his writing career. Thus, the attorney helped Dunbar publish a second collection of poems. (That's how promising he was. Everyone who knew his work wanted him to succeed.)

Dunbar became America's first prominent African American poet and was an international sensation. His verse dialect was actually preferred by white audiences. In other words: they liked it! He also wrote short stories, novels, and essays, which I would be interested in reading, as well.

Unfortunately, Dunbar suffered from health complications and died at the young age of 33. Gratefully, today, we still have his works, which have only gained in popularity over time. If you are interested, read a poem or two from Paul Laurence Dunbar. You will not be disappointed.

These are the selected poems I read. Favored favorites are in blue:

A Negro love Song
An Ante-Bellum Sermon
At the Tavern
Colored Band
The Debt
Douglass
Little Brown Baby
Ode to Ethiopia
The Old Front Gate
The Poet and His Song
The Seedling
Signs of the Times
Sympathy
We Wear the Mask
When Malindy Sings
When de Co'n Pone's Hot
When Dey 'Listed Colored Soldiers
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
GRLopez | 6 outras críticas | Jan 21, 2024 |
Very short piece, written in 1895 in dialect.
 
Assinalado
VillageProject | Nov 9, 2023 |
 
Assinalado
susangeib | Jul 31, 2023 |
$450. Rare Book. 3 rd edition with insignia by Dunbar. Good condition.Dodd Mead, New York, 1909. Hardcover, 208 pp. Gold titles and decorations on boards and spine. Gilded head of text block. Introduction by William Dean Howells. Uncommon; an illustrated edition. Same as original 1896 edition but with black & white photo illustrations. Near fine
 
Assinalado
susangeib | 1 outra crítica | Jul 2, 2023 |

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Erick Berry Illustrator
Kenny J. Williams Introduction
Margaret Armstrong Cover designer

Estatísticas

Obras
57
Also by
44
Membros
930
Popularidade
#27,610
Avaliação
4.0
Críticas
25
ISBN
223
Línguas
1
Marcado como favorito
4

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