Author Spotlight #23

WHO: Richard Wright

WHAT: Writer best known for Native Son and Black Boy

WHEN: Born September 4, 1908; died November 28, 1960

WHERE: Born in Roxie, Mississippi; died in Paris, France

WORK WE HAVE HERE AT LC:

Native Son: "Trapped in the poverty-stricken ghetto of Chicago's South Side, a young black man finds release only in acts of violence."

Wright's work also appears in numerous anthologies.

WORDS:

“They hate because they fear, and they fear because they feel that the deepest feelings of their lives are being assaulted and outraged. And they do not know why; they are powerless pawns in a blind play of social forces.” (from Native Son)

“Literature is a struggle over the nature of reality.” (Native Son)

FOR MORE:

• Watch this clip about Wright's experience during the Great Depression
  
• Learn more about Wright's life here
  
• Watch Wright in this screen test for the film version of Native Son