About this item
Highlights
- Collected humorous stories from Langston Hughes's column in the Chicago Defender, The Return of Simple chronicles the life and struggles of Jesse B. Semple, and are considered by many to represent the author's finest work.From his familiar perch in a fictional Harlem bar, Simple held forth on a variety of subjects--low wages, interracial marriage, birth control, race riots, the police--then central to Black life in urban America.
- About the Author: Langston Hughes (1902-67) was born in Joplin, Missouri, was educated at Lincoln University, and lived for most of his life in New York City.
- 218 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres, Anthologies (multiple authors)
Description
About the Book
Jesse B. Simple, Simple to his fans, made weekly appearances beginning in 1943 in Langston Hughes's column in the Chicago Defender. This collection contains 62 of Hughes's magnificent Simple stories, many never before published in book form. "A lively collection . . . funny-but-wise".--Robert O'Meally, New York Newsday.Book Synopsis
Collected humorous stories from Langston Hughes's column in the Chicago Defender, The Return of Simple chronicles the life and struggles of Jesse B. Semple, and are considered by many to represent the author's finest work.
From his familiar perch in a fictional Harlem bar, Simple held forth on a variety of subjects--low wages, interracial marriage, birth control, race riots, the police--then central to Black life in urban America. Many decades later, Simple's concerns are, startlingly, still ours, and his voice, ringing with poetic wisdom and humor, reminds us of the rich African-American folk tradition Langston Hughes helped to revive. This brilliantly edited collection by Akiba Sullivan harper brings together the best stories from a number of Simple volumes long out of print and a few never before published. Its feel is so contemporary and relevant to American life one must marvel at Hughes's ability to pass through the barrier of time.
About the Author
Langston Hughes (1902-67) was born in Joplin, Missouri, was educated at Lincoln University, and lived for most of his life in New York City. He is best known as a poet, but he also wrote novels, biography, history, plays, and children's books. Among his works are two volumes of memoirs, The Big Sea and I Wonder as I Wander, and two collections of Simple stories, The Best of Simple and The Return of Simple.