Short Stories - Hardcover

Hughes, Langston; Harper, Donna Sullivan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0809086581 ISBN 13: 9780809086580

Publisher: Hill & Wang Pub, 1996

Synopsis

For the first time in many years, Langston Hughes's published collections of stories are now available in a single book. Included in this volume are: Ways of White Folks, originally published in 1934; Laughing to Keep from Crying, originally published in 1952; and additional stories from Something in Common and Other Stories, originally published in 1963; as well as previously uncollected stories. These fictions, carefully crafted in the language Hughes loved, manifest the many themes for which he is best known. We meet and come to know many characters--black and white, young and old, men and women - all as believable as our own families, friends, and acquaintances. Hughes's stories portray people as they actually are: a mixture of good, bad, and much in-between. In these short stories, as in the Simple stories, the reader enjoys Hughes's humor and irony. The stories show us his inclination to mock himself and his beloved people, as much as he ridicules the flaws of those who belittle his race. His genuine characters interact and realistically bring to life this era of America's past. By maintaining the form and format of the original story collections, this volume presents Hughes's stories as he wanted them to be read. This volume will be an invaluable addition to the library of anyone interested in African American literature generally and the fiction of Langston Hughes specifically.

About this title

Review:

"Perhaps more than any other writer in American history, Hughes was able to capture 'the Harlemness of the American predicament' (to quote Ralph Ellison's wonderful phrase), in words that had the ring of truth not just in literary circles but in barbershops and beauty parlors of everyday Harlem itself."--Robert G. O'Meally, "New York Newsday"
"[Hughes's] fiction...manifests his 'wonder at the world.' As these stories reveal, that wonder has lost little of its shine."--Brooke Horvath, "The Cleveland Plain Dealer"
"A good example of how Hughes attempted the balancing act of writing an engaged literary and genuinely popular literature that spoke for and of the everyday lives of African-Americans."--James Smethurst, "Chicago Tribune"

Perhaps more than any other writer in American history, Hughes was able to capture 'the Harlemness of the American predicament' (to quote Ralph Ellison's wonderful phrase), in words that had the ring of truth not just in literary circles but in barbershops and beauty parlors of everyday Harlem itself. "Robert G. O'Meally, New York Newsday"

[Hughes's] fiction...manifests his 'wonder at the world.' As these stories reveal, that wonder has lost little of its shine. "Brooke Horvath, The Cleveland Plain Dealer"

A good example of how Hughes attempted the balancing act of writing an engaged literary and genuinely popular literature that spoke for and of the everyday lives of African-Americans. "James Smethurst, Chicago Tribune""

Perhaps more than any other writer in American history, Hughes was able to capture 'the Harlemness of the American predicament' (to quote Ralph Ellison's wonderful phrase), in words that had the ring of truth not just in literary circles but in barbershops and beauty parlors of everyday Harlem itself. Robert G. O'Meally, New York Newsday

[Hughes's] fiction...manifests his 'wonder at the world.' As these stories reveal, that wonder has lost little of its shine. Brooke Horvath, The Cleveland Plain Dealer

A good example of how Hughes attempted the balancing act of writing an engaged literary and genuinely popular literature that spoke for and of the everyday lives of African-Americans. James Smethurst, Chicago Tribune

"

"Perhaps more than any other writer in American history, Hughes was able to capture 'the Harlemness of the American predicament' (to quote Ralph Ellison's wonderful phrase), in words that had the ring of truth not just in literary circles but in barbershops and beauty parlors of everyday Harlem itself." --Robert G. O'Meally, New York Newsday

"[Hughes's] fiction...manifests his 'wonder at the world.' As these stories reveal, that wonder has lost little of its shine." --Brooke Horvath, The Cleveland Plain Dealer

"A good example of how Hughes attempted the balancing act of writing an engaged literary and genuinely popular literature that spoke for and of the everyday lives of African-Americans." --James Smethurst, Chicago Tribune

About the Author:

About the Editor R. Baxter Miller is Professor of English at the University of Georgia in Athens. He is the author of The Art and Imagination of Langston Hughes as well as many other critical studies.

About this edition

• Publisher: Hill & Wang Pub
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0809086581
• ISBN 13: 9780809086580
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 299
• Editor: Harper Akiba Sullivan