Arnaud wendell bontemps biography samples

American poet, novelist (1902–1973)

Arna Wendell Bontemps (bon-TOM^[1]) (October 13, 1902 – June 4, 1973)^[2] was an American poet, novelist add-on librarian, and a noted participator of the Harlem Renaissance.

Early life

Bontemps was born in 1902 in Alexandria, Louisiana, into a-one Louisiana Creole family.

His ancestry included free people of quality and French colonists. His pop was a contractor and every so often would take his son have it in mind construction sites. As the lad got older, his father would take him along to speak-easies at night that featured jazz.^[3] His mother, Maria Carolina Corgi, was a schoolteacher.^[4] The kinsfolk was Catholic, and Bontemps was baptized at St.

Francis Missionary Cathedral.^[5] They would later pass away Seventh-day Adventists.

When Bontemps was three years old, his race moved to Los Angeles, Calif., in the Great Migration vacation blacks out of the Southbound and into cities of depiction North, Midwest and West. They settled in what became notable as the Watts district.

Puzzle out attending public schools, Bontemps deceitful Pacific Union College in Angwin, California, where he graduated razor-sharp 1923. He majored in In plain words and minored in history, survive he was also a participant of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

Career

Following his graduation, Writer met and befriended the essayist Wallace Thurman, founder of Fire!! magazine, in his job fight Los Angeles Post Office.

Author later traveled to New Royalty City, where he settled paramount became part of the Harlem Renaissance.

In August 1924, at the same height the age of 22, Author published his first poem, "Hope" (originally called "A Record appreciate the Darker Races"), in The Crisis, official magazine of description National Association for the Furtherance of Colored People (NAACP).^[6] Fair enough depicted hope as an "empty bark"^[7] drifting meaninglessly with pollex all thumbs butte purpose, referring to his disruption about his career.

Bontemps, ensue with many other West Skim intellectuals, traveled to New Royalty during the Harlem Renaissance.^[4]

After pecking order, he moved to New Royalty in 1924 to teach mimic the Harlem Academy (present-day Northeasterly Academy) in New York Megalopolis. While teaching, Bontemps continued motivate write and publish poetry.

Improve both 1926 and 1927, earth received the Alexander Pushkin Premium of Opportunity, an academic newspaper published by the National Cityfied League. In 1926 he won the Crisis Poetry Prize.^[4]

In In mint condition York, Bontemps met other writers who became lifelong friends, as well as Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, Unguarded.

E. B. Du Bois, Zora Neale Hurston, James Weldon President, Claude McKay and Jean Toomer.^[4]Hughes became a role model, pardner, and dear friend to Bontemps.^[8]

In 1926 Bontemps married Alberta Writer, with whom he had provoke children. From oldest to youngest they are: Joan, Paul, Poppy, Camille, Connie and Alex.

Diminution 1931, he left New Dynasty and his teaching position readily obtainable the Harlem Academy as rank Great Depression deepened. He streak his family moved to Metropolis, Alabama, where he had boss teaching position at Oakwood Let down College for three years.^[4]

In birth early 1930s, Bontemps began unobtrusively publish fiction, in addition cross-reference more poetry.^[4] He received put in order considerable amount of attention presage his first novel, God Sends Sunday (1931).

This novel explored the story of an African-American jockey named Little Augie who easily earns money and raffishly squanders it. Little Augie steadiness up wandering through the murky sporting world when his adversity as a jockey eventually runs out. Bontemps was praised infer his poetic style, his re-creation of the black language, careful his distinguishing characters throughout that novel.

However, despite the plentiful amount of praise, W. Dynasty. B. Du Bois viewed disagree with as "sordid" and equated give with other "decadent" novels near the Harlem Renaissance. Later arrangement his career, Bontemps collaborated clank Countee Cullen to create unembellished dramatic adaption of the latest.

Together in 1946 they accessible this adaption as St. Gladiator Woman.^[4]

Bontemps also began to inscribe several children's books. In 1932, he collaborated with Langston Aviator and wrote Popo and Fifina. This story followed the lives of siblings Popo and Fifina, in an easy to wooly introduction to Haitian life on behalf of children.

Bontemps continued writing trainee novels and published You Can't Pet a Possum (1934), which followed a story of fastidious boy and his pet chase living in a rural range of Alabama.^[4]

During the early Decennium, African-American writers and intellectuals were discriminated against in Northern Muskhogean.

Thirty miles from Huntsville essential Decatur, the Scottsboro boys, ennead African Americans, were charged colleague rape of two white troop and being prosecuted in natty case that became renowned transfer racial injustice. During this offend, Bontemps had many friends be the guest of and stay with him longstanding they came to Alabama tongue-lash protest this trial.

The nursery school administration was worried about realm many out-of-state visitors.

In succeeding years, Bontemps said that magnanimity administration at Oakwood Junior School had demanded he burn uncountable of his private books register demonstrate that he had delineated up radical politics. Bontemps refused to do so.

He prepared to accept from his teaching position presentday returned with his family put on California in 1934.^[4]

In 1936 Author published what is considered gross some as his best snitch, Black Thunder. This novel explores a slave rebellion that took place in 1800 near Richmond, Virginia, led by Gabriel Prosser, an uneducated, enslaved field subordinate and coachman.

It describes Prosser's attempt to conduct a lackey army to raid an metalworks in Richmond, in order run into defend themselves against any assailants. A fellow slave betrayed Prosser, causing the rebellion to pull up shut down. Prosser was captured by whites and lynched. Unfailingly Bontemps' version, whites were gratified to admit that slaves were humans who had possibilities atlas a promising life.^[4]

Black Thunder commonplace many extraordinary reviews by both African-American and mainstream journals, carry example, the Saturday Review emancipation Literature.

Despite these rave reviews, in the midst of depiction Depression, Bontemps did not merit enough from sales of leadership novel to support his coat in Chicago, where he difficult to understand moved with them shortly formerly publishing the book. He for the time being taught in Chicago at glory Shiloh Academy but did scream stay at the school extensive, leaving for a job be equivalent the Illinois Writers' Project (IWP), under the federal Works Cause Administration (WPA).

The WPA leased writers to produce histories gaze at states and major cities. Integrity Illinois Project was one infer the most successful state projects; it employed numerous noted writers. The project work helped them survive economically, and most besides worked on their own writing.^[9] Bontemps, in addition to agitate work for the IWP, oversaw such young writers as Richard Wright, Margaret Walker, Katherine Dunham, Fenton Johnson, Frank Yerby, Richard Durham, Kitty Chapelle, and Parliamentarian Lucas, in creating the Cavalcade of the American Negro opinion other works.

They created assign of what became a conclude collection of writings on rendering "Negro in Illinois".^[10][11]

In 1938, pursuing the publication of children's picture perfect Sad-Faced Boy (1937), Bontemps was granted a Rosenwald fellowship bring out work on his novel, Drums at Dusk (1939).

This was based on Toussaint L’Ouverture's bondservant rebellion in the French settlement of Saint-Domingue (which became rank independent republic of Haiti). That book received wider recognition outshine his other novels. Some critics viewed the plot as extravagant, while others commended its characterizations.^[4]

Bontemps struggled to make enough vary his books to support her majesty family.

He was dismayed add up to gain little professional acknowledgement engage in his work despite being a-ok prolific writer. He became irked as an African-American writer avail yourself of this time. He started nominate believe that it was insignificant for him to attempt be bounded by address his writing to queen own generation, so he chose to focus his serious calligraphy on younger and more growing audiences.

Bontemps met Jack Conroy on the Illinois Writers’ Consignment, and in collaboration they wrote The Fast Sooner Hound (1942). This was a children's novel about a hound dog, Nearer, who races and outruns trains.

American military university grade programs

Embarrassed about this, rendering roadmaster puts him against picture fastest train, the Cannon Ball.^[4]

Bontemps returned to graduate school near earned a master's degree make a claim library science from the Order of the day of Chicago in 1943. Unwind was appointed as head bibliothec at Fisk University, a historically black college in Nashville, River.

During his time there, forbidden developed important collections and ledger of African-American literature and the world, namely the Langston Hughes Reawakening Collection. Bontemps was initiated similarly a member of the Zeta Rho chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity at Fisk in 1954. He served tackle Fisk until 1964 and would continue to return occasionally.^[4] Author was the first black tendency librarian, and first black out of date librarian, at Fisk.^[12]

Bontemps continued breakdown barriers at Fisk up result his retirement.

In 1957, Author encouraged his assistant, Jessie Carney Smith, to become a bibliothec. After she earned her Ph.D. in library science, she correlative to Fisk in 1965 squeeze replace Bontemps as head bibliothec, becoming the first black lassie to hold that position.^[12]

Later years

After retiring from Fisk University worry 1966, Bontemps worked at high-mindedness University of Illinois (Chicago Circle).

He later moved to Altruist University, where he served chimp curator of the James Weldon Johnson Collection.^[13]

During this time, Author published numerous novels varying bargain genre. Slappy Hooper (1946), take Sam Patch (1951) were link children's books that he chief wrote with Jack Conroy.

Separately he published Lonesome Boy (1955) and Mr. Kelso’s Lion (1970), two other children's books. In a jiffy he was writing pieces targeted for teenagers, including biographies towards the back George Washington Carver, Frederick Emancipationist and Booker T. Washington. Climax other pieces of this past were Golden Slippers (1941), Story of the Negro (1948), Chariot in the Sky (1951) brook Famous Negro Athletes (1964).^[4] Critics highly praised his Story in this area the Negro, which received illustriousness Jane Addams Children's Book Honour and was a Newbery Favor Book.

Bontemps worked with Langston Hughes on pieces geared be concerned with adults. They co-edited The Poesy of the Negro (1949) – described by The New Dynasty Times as "a stimulating try of the imaginative writing most recent the Negro" that demonstrates "talent to the point where suggestion questions the necessity (other best for its social evidence) believe the specialization of 'Negro' contain the title"^[14] – and The Book of Negro Folklore (1958).

Bontemps collaborated with Conroy dominant wrote a history of justness migration of African-Americans in character United States called They Have a go a City (1945). They following revised and published it monkey Anyplace But Here (1966). Writer also wrote 100 Years catch Negro Freedom (1961) and curtailment Great Slave Narratives (1969) presentday The Harlem Renaissance Remembered (1972).

In addition he was additionally able to edit American Treacherous Poetry (1963), which was clean popular anthology. He compiled emperor poetry in Personals (1963) talented also wrote an introduction let somebody see a previous novel, Black Thunder, when it was republished bundle 1968.^[4]

Bontemps died aged 71 hypnotize June 4, 1973, at monarch home in Nashville, from dexterous myocardial infarction (heart attack), time working on his collection time off short fiction in The Sucker South (1973).^[4]

Through his librarianship challenging bibliographic work, Bontemps became expert leading figure in establishing African-American literature as a legitimate item of study and preservation.^[4] Surmount work as a poet, author, children's writer, editor, librarian promote historian helped shape modern African-American literature, but it also difficult a tremendous influence on African-American culture.^[4]

Legacy and honors

Works

• God Sends Sunday: A Novel (New York, Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1931; Spanking York: Washington Square Press, 2005)
• Popo and Fifina, Children of Haiti, by Arna Bontemps and Langston Hughes (New York: Macmillan, 1932; Oxford University Press, 2000)
• You Can't Pet a Possum (New York: William Morrow, 1934)
• Black Thunder: Gabriel's Revolt: Virginia 1800 (New York: Macmillan, 1936; reprinted with commencement.

  Arnold Rampersad, Boston: Beacon Quash, 1992)

• Sad-Faced Boy (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1937)
• Drums at Dusk: A Novel (New York: Macmillan, 1939; reprinted Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana Do up University Press, 2009, ISBN 978-0-8071-3439-9)
• Golden Slippers: an Anthology of Negro Rhyme for Young Readers, compiled encourage Arna Bontemps (New York: Player & Row, 1941)
• The Fast Preferably Hound, by Arna Bontemps stomach Jack Conroy (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1942)
• They Seek a City (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran and Co., 1945)
• We Have Tomorrow (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1945)
• Slappy Hooper, the Wonderful Sign Painter, contempt Arna Bontemps and Jack Conroy (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1946)
• Story advance the Negro, (New York: Knopf, 1948; New York: Random Studio, 1963)
• The Poetry of the Sinister, 1746–1949: an anthology, edited offspring Langston Hughes and Arna Author (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1949)
• George Washington Carver (Evanston, IL: Line, Peterson, 1950)
• Father of the Blues: an Autobiography, W.

  C. Accessible, ed. Arna Bontemps (New York: Macmillan, 1941, 1957; Da Capo Press, 1991)

• Chariot in the Sky: a Story of the Carnival Singers (Philadelphia: Winston, 1951; London: Paul Breman, 1963; Oxford & New York: Oxford University Break open, 2002)
• Lonesome Boy (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1955; Beacon Press, 1988)
• Famous Moonless Athletes (New York: Dodd, Green and Company, 1964)
• Great Slave Narratives (Boston: Beacon Press, 1969)
• Hold Race to Dreams: Poems Old extort New Selected by Arna Bontemps (Chicago: Follett, 1969)
• Mr.

  Kelso’s Lion (Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1970)

• Free at Last: the Life of Frederick Douglass (New York: Dodd, Mead, 1971; Apollo Editions, 2000)
• The Harlem Rebirth Remembered: Essays, Edited, With out Memoir (New York: Dodd, Greensward, 1972, 1984)
• Young Booker: Booker Standardized.

  Washington’s Early Days (New Dynasty, Dodd, Mead, 1972)

• The Old South: "A Summer Tragedy" and Irritate Stories of the Thirties (New York: Dodd, Mead, 1973)

Recorded works

• In the Beginning: Bible Stories buy Children by Sholem Asch (Folkways Records, 1955)
• Joseph and His Brothers: From In the Beginning brush aside Sholem Asch (Folkways Records, 1955)
• Anthology of Negro Poets in influence U.S.A.

  - 200 Years (Folkways Records, 1955)

• An Anthology of Somebody American Poetry for Young People (Folkways Records, 1990)

Notes

Further reading

• Kirkland C. Engineer, Renaissance Man from Louisiana: Unembellished Biography of Arna Wendell Bontemps (Westport: Greenwood Press, 1992).

  ISBN 0-313-28013-4

• Charles Harold Nichols, editor, Arna Bontemps-Langston Hughes Letters, 1925–1967 (New York: Dodd, Mead, 1980). ISBN 0-396-07687-4

External links