San Antonio College Library

Since the 1940s, when Richard Wright published his best-selling Native Son, he has been one of the most widely read writers of his time and after. Many of Wright's stories were accounts of racially motivated violence that shocked the public at the time of publication and forced his readers to be aware of the horrors of racism in America. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and K.A. Appiah, editors of Richard Wright: Critical Perspectives Past and Present, selected...

The author "discusses Wright's work in terms of its relevant literary, moral, and political contexts. Mr. McCall undertakes an intensive close analysis of Richard Wright's major and most representative achievements, a historical study of Wright's position as a left-wing polemicist and Black Spokesman ('Black Power' is Wrights phrase), and an appraisal of Wright's influence on subsequent black writers and of the continuing importance of his work.

Richard Wright was the grandson of slaves, Richard Rodriguez the son of immigrants. One black, the other brown, each author prominently displays his race in the title of his autobiography: Black Boy and Brown. Wright was a radical left winger, while Rodriguez is widely viewed as a reactionary. Despite their differences, Michael Nieto Garcia points out, the two share a preoccupation with issues of agency, class struggle, ethnic identity, the search...

"Born in rural Mississippi, the grandson of slaves, Richard Wright overcame daunting obstacles to achieve literary recognition as the creator of some of America's most powerful black literature. Wright's works changed the cultural landscape by challenging old stereotypes and myths about race. This critical volume helps students appreciate the literary significance of such groundbreaking works as Native Son and the autobiographical Black Boy. It serves...

Jean-François Gounard's examination of the writings of Richard Wright and James Baldwin achieves a balance between the fiery Wright and the placid Baldwin. Gounard's two studies convincingly prove a complementary relationship between the works of these two American writers. Both reflect the profound desire of black Americans to be recognized as first class citizens: Wright aroused white America's conscience, Baldwin made that conscience experience...