Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri, in 1902. His parents were divorced when he was a small child and his father moved to Mexico. He was raised by his grandmother until he was twelve, when he moved to Lincoln, 伊利诺斯州, to live with his mother and her husband. It was during his high school years that Hughes began writing poetry. Following graduation, he spent a year in Mexico and a year at Columbia University and travelled to Africa and Europe. He moved to Harlem, New York, in November 1924. Hughes first book of poetry, The Weary Blues, was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1926. He finished his college education at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania three years later.
Hughes, who claimed Paul Laurence Dunbar, 卡尔桑德伯格, 沃尔特·惠特曼 as his primary influences, is particularly known for his insightful, colorful portrayals of black life in America from the twenties through the sixties. He wrote novels, short stories and plays, as well as poetry, is also known for his engagement with the world of jazz and the influence it had on his writing, as in "Montage of a Dream Deferred." His life and work were enormously important in shaping the artistic contributions of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. Unlike other notable black poets of the period ( 克劳德·麦凯, jt, Countee Cullen) Hughes refused to differentiate between his personal experience and the common experience of black America. He wanted to tell the stories of his people without personalizing them, so the reader could step in and draw his own conclusions. Langston Hughes died in 1967.
“I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go.”
– Langston Hughes, Class of 1929
Langston Hughes Memorial Library is named for one of Lincoln University’s most famous graduates, the celebrated poet Langston Hughes, who also bequeathed his personal 图书馆 here upon his death in 1967. The 图书馆 itself is an integral part of the Lincoln experience. The 1972 facility contains areas for microforms, 期刊, computer labs, reading lounges, individual and group study rooms, special collections and the University archives. Students are able to access the 图书馆 for after hour study through a separate designated entrance. Phase I of a total 图书馆 renovation was completed in 2008. Phase II of the renovation was completed in 2011.
Here you will find…