Langston Hughes was an African-American writer and thinker who sparked a revolution in the literary art form known as jazz poetry. He is best remembered for his many works that gave an idea of the life experiences of African Americans in the United States during the 1920s to the 1960s. His use of jazz rhythms and dialects spoke powerfully to the common man, and he is often referred to as the people's poet for his portrayals of black culture and everyday life. Born James Mercer Langston Hughes on February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri, he could have attended engineering school to please his father, but instead chose to pursue a career in writing.
He is recognized as an innovator of jazz poetry, imitating the flow and rhythm of jazz music. His collected poems, edited by Arnold Rampersad and David Roessel, appeared in 1994. Hughes is most famous for his contributions to the Harlem Renaissance movement, a period when black was in vogue. He broke boundaries with his poetry and left an enduring legacy that has been paraphrased as when Harlem was in vogue. He was also a competent journalist and traveler, and ProSletters from Langston (University of California Press, 201 Selected Letters of Langston Hughes) (Alfred A.
Langston Hughes) is a testament to his work. Today, Langston Hughes is remembered for his many works that gave an idea of the life experiences of African Americans in the United States during the 1920s to the 1960s. He broke boundaries with his poetry and left an enduring legacy that has been paraphrased as when Harlem was in vogue.