Paul Laurence Dunbar
American poet
June 27, 1872 - February 9, 1906
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Before I resumed reading poetry from The Well-Educated Mind list, I had not heard of Paul Laurence Dunbar. But now, I consider him one of my favorite poets. Why? Because every single poem I read from the selected list produced a similar satisfaction.
His topics ranged from life, love, joy, hardship, family, race, traditions, progress, and triumph. He wrote impartially and honestly about African American experiences and traditions of the late 1800s. But the tone was all very kindred. His poems were pragmatic, true, and often cheerful. And best of all, they were musical.
Dunbar wrote many of these poems in the African American dialect, and I found it even more pleasant to hear someone else read them than for me to read them myself. In that way, they become like songs.
His life was fascinating. Born in Ohio, to two former slaves (from Kentucky), he took an interest in writing from his youth. He was the only black student of his high school class and became president of the school literary society, editor of the school newspaper, and the class poet. Orville Wright was his classmate, and helped him print a separate publication, in which Dunbar also contributed poems.
After graduation, and due to the praise from teachers and newspaper editors, Dunbar gained access to the literary world and had some of his work published. Even Orville Wright later helped finance his friend. An admiring attorney offered to pay for his college, but Dunbar rejected the offer to pursue his writing career. Thus, the attorney helped Dunbar publish a second collection of poems. (That's how promising he was. Everyone who knew his work wanted him to succeed.)
Dunbar became America's first prominent African American poet and was an international sensation. His verse dialect was actually preferred by white audiences. In other words: they liked it! He also wrote short stories, novels, and essays, which I would be interested in reading, as well.
Unfortunately, Dunbar suffered from health complications and died at the young age of 33. Gratefully, today, we still have his works, which have only gained in popularity over time. If you are interested, read a poem or two from Paul Laurence Dunbar. You will not be disappointed.
These are the selected poems I read. Favored favorites are in blue:
A Negro love Song
An Ante-Bellum Sermon
At the Tavern
Colored Band
The Debt
Douglass
Little Brown Baby
Ode to Ethiopia
The Old Front Gate
The Poet and His Song
The Seedling
Signs of the Times
Sympathy
We Wear the Mask
When Malindy Sings
When de Co'n Pone's Hot
When Dey 'Listed Colored Soldiers
* * *
I'll have to look for a collection of his works. I think I've heard his name before, but have an odd relationship with poetry -- I don't seek it out, but I frequently encounter and become enraptured by it, and even memorize certain pieces. Presently I'm trying to memorize "Barefoot Boy with Cheek of Tan" -- a little ambitious considering that other memorized words are short ones like "Invictus" and ‘Breathes there the man’.
ReplyDeleteSame here. I do not read poetry, but this is good stuff.
DeleteBarefoot Boy is a long poem to memorize. But it should be helpful that it rhymes. Good luck!