History Creator / RichardWright

* ''Black Boy,'' a semi-autobiographical novel in which Wright depicts his childhood in Mississippi, adult life in Chicago, and his time with, and eventual break from, the Communist Party. A second half, ''American Hunger'', was eventually included when the book was republished.
* ''Uncle Tom's Children,'' the first book Wright successfully published, a collection of 4 short stories about racism in Mississippi. An additional two stories were added to the collection after the first publishing.
* ''Lawd, Today!'' Wright's first literary effort, which he wrote in 1933 but was only published after his death. A gritty, depressing story about a brutish, Nazi-sympathizing black postal worker, it is generally considered to be of low quality compared to Wright's other works.
* ''Black Power,'' a memoir/essay about Wright's travels in Africa and involvement with the anti-colonial struggles in Ghana. [[OlderThanTheyThink Also the first ever use of the term "Black Power."]]

'''Richard Nathaniel Wright''' (September 4, 1908 – November 28, 1960) was a highly influential American author and poet. Born in Mississippi at the turn of the century, he lived a difficult life in which he saw the horrors of racism firsthand. Dropping out of school in 9th grade due to his frustration with the racist administration, he vigorously educated himself through novels and other literary works. A desire to escape the Jim Crow South caused him to settle in Chicago at the tender age of 17, where he hoped to start a career as a writer. There, he became involved with left-wing politics and began what would become a long and troubled relationship with the Communist Party.

Wright's first real success came with a collection of novellas called ''Uncle Tom's Children'', which he based on his experiences with Jim Crow and racial violence in the South. Despite the book's dark tone and rather brutal imagery, the book was highly acclaimed, and the proceeds from the book were enough for Wright to move to Harlem, the "Mecca of the New Negro." It was here that he befriended fellow Black author Ralph Ellison, with whom he became HeterosexualLifePartners. It was also where that he would write the novel that would become his most famous and momentous: ''Literature/NativeSon''. ''Native Son'', a protest novel depicting the psychological effect of white supremacy on a young Black man, was an instant classic, thrusting Wright into international fame and recognition and making him one of the richest and most successful Black writers of his age. The book would eventually inspire Black Power movements in America -- the Black Panthers even made it required reading -- as well as national liberation struggles in Africa: no lesser personages than Frantz Fanon and Kwame Nkrumah drew inspiration from the book. Wright later penned another bestseller in the form of his BiographyAClef, ''Black Boy''.

Wright's first real success came with a collection of novellas called ''Uncle Tom's Children'', which he based on his experiences with Jim Crow and racial violence in the South. Despite the book's dark and rather brutal imagery, the book was highly acclaimed, and the proceeds from the book were enough for Wright to move to Harlem, the "Mecca of the New Negro." It was here that he befriended fellow Black author Ralph Ellison, with whom he became HeterosexualLifePartners. It was also where that he would write the novel that would become his most famous and momentous: ''Literature/NativeSon''. ''Native Son'', a protest novel depicting the psychological effect of white supremacy on a young Black man, was an instant classic, thrusting Wright into international fame and recognition and making him one of the richest and most successful Black writers of his age. The book would eventually inspire Black Power movements in America -- the Black Panthers even made it required reading -- as well as national liberation struggles in Africa: no lesser personages than Frantz Fanon and Kwame Nkrumah drew inspiration from the book. Wright later penned another bestseller in the form of his BiographyAClef, Black Boy.

* ''Black Boy,'' a semi-autobiographical novel in which Wright depicts his childhood in Mississippi, adult life in Chicago, and his time with, and eventual break from the Communist Party. A second half, ''American Hunger'', was eventually included when the book was republished.

* White Man, Listen!'', a collection of lectures Wright gave on the condition of oppressed peoples in African colonies and America, addressed to a white audience.

* ''Literature/NativeSon'', a novel featuring Bigger Thomas, a black teenager who accidentally kills a white woman and tries vainly to flee from t

[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]
->''"During the last decades, films about the black experience have been produced, directed, and even scripted by white men. Some of them are excellent. But most reflect George Bernard Shaw’s warning that 'if you do not tell your stories others will tell them for you and they will vulgarize and degrade you."''

* ''Black Boy,'' a semi-autobiographical novel in which Wright depicts his childhood in Mississippi, adult life in Chicago, and his time with, and eventual break from the Communist Party.

* White Man Listen'', a collection of interviews and essays that serves as a comprehensive biography of UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli