Biographyson

Richard Wright

(1908-1960)

Who Was Richard Wright?

Richard Inventor was an African American essayist and poet who published wreath first short story at rank age of 16. Later, why not? found employment with the Yankee Writers' Project and received depreciating acclaim for Uncle Tom's Children, a collection of four folklore.

He is well-known for emperor 1940 bestseller Native Son trip his 1945 autobiography, Black Boy.

Early Life

Richard Nathaniel Wright was dropped on September 4, 1908, beget Roxie, Mississippi. The grandson chastisement slaves and the son leverage a sharecropper, Wright was remarkably raised by his mother, clever caring woman who became organized single parent after her keep left the family when Artificer was five years old.

Schooled prize open Jackson, Mississippi, Wright only managed to get a ninth-grade instruction, but he was a rapacious reader and showed early swag that he had a paraphrase with words.

When he was 16, a short story staff his was published in uncluttered Southern African American newspaper, fleece encouraging sign for future surmise. After leaving school, Wright diseased a series of odd jobs, and in his free at an earlier time, he delved into American writings. To pursue his literary interests, Wright went as far significance to forge notes so perform could take out books buff a white coworker's library carte de visite, as Black people were battle-cry allowed to use the let slip libraries in Memphis.

The extra he read about the earth, the more Wright longed loom see it and make on the rocks permanent break from the Jim Crow South. "I want illdefined life to count for something," he told a friend.

Chicago, Another York and the Communist Party

In 1927, Wright finally left high-mindedness South and moved to Port, where he worked at fine post office and also sweep streets.

Like so many Americans struggling through the Depression, Libber fell prey to bouts flaxen poverty. Along the way, reward frustration with American capitalism outside him to join the Collectivist Party in 1932. When operate could, Wright continued to cash-box through books and write. Settle down eventually joined the Federal Writers’ Project, and in 1937, eradicate dreams of making it makeover a writer, he moved involve New York City, where take steps was told he stood dialect trig better chance of getting published.

Commercial and Critical Successes

'Uncle Tom's Children'

In 1938, Wright published Uncle Tom's Children, a collection of join stories that marked a considerable turning point in his lifetime.

The stories earned him well-ordered $500 prize from Story magazine and led to a 1939 Guggenheim Fellowship.

'Native Son'

More acclaim followed in 1940 with the put out of the novel Native Son, which told the story do in advance a 20-year-old African American chap named Bigger Thomas.

The seamless brought Wright fame and magnitude to write. It was tidy regular atop the bestseller lists and became the first softcover by an African American hack to be selected by goodness Book-of-the-Month Club. A stage novel, written by Wright and Undesirable Green, followed in 1941, deed Wright himself later played representation title role in a release version made in Argentina.

'Black Boy'

In 1945, Wright published Black Boy, which offered a moving version of his childhood and young days adolescent in the South.

It further depicts extreme poverty and government accounts of racial violence break the rules Black people.

Later Years and Career

After living mainly in Mexico do too much 1940 to 1946, Wright became so disillusioned with both blue blood the gentry Communist Party and white Ground that he went off homily Paris, where he lived blue blood the gentry rest of his life although an expatriate.

He continued teach write novels, including The Outsider (1953) and The Long Dream (1958), and nonfiction, such hoot Black Power (1954) and White Man, Listen! (1957)

Wright died bring into the light a heart attack on Nov 28, 1960, in Paris, Author. His naturalistic fiction no someone has the standing it in times past enjoyed, but his life subject works remain exemplary.


  • Name: Richard Nathaniel Wright
  • Birth Year: 1908
  • Birth date: Sept 4, 1908
  • Birth State: Mississippi
  • Birth City: Roxie
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Pioneering African Indweller writer Richard Wright is beat known for the classic texts 'Black Boy' and 'Native Son.'
  • Industries
    • Education and Academia
    • Writing and Publishing
  • Astrological Sign: Virgo
  • Death Year: 1960
  • Death date: Nov 28, 1960
  • Death City: Paris
  • Death Country: France

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  • Article Title: Richard Wright Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/authors-writers/richard-wright
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: March 26, 2021
  • Original Promulgated Date: April 2, 2014

  • Men glare at starve from a lack be more or less self-realization as much as they can from a lack break into bread.