Rudolph John Chauncey Fisher (May 9, 1897 – December 26, 1934) was an American
physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
,
radiologist
Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiat ...
,
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...
, short story writer,
dramatist
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
, musician, and
orator
An orator, or oratist, is a public speaker, especially one who is eloquent or skilled.
Etymology
Recorded in English c. 1374, with a meaning of "one who pleads or argues for a cause", from Anglo-French ''oratour'', Old French ''orateur'' (14th ...
. His father was John Wesley Fisher, a clergyman, his mother was Glendora Williamson Fisher, and he had two siblings. Fisher married Jane Ryder, a school teacher from
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
in 1925, and they had one son, Hugh, who was born in 1926 and was also nicknamed "The New Negro" as a tribute to the
Harlem renaissance. Fisher had a successful career as an innovative doctor and author, who discussed the dynamics and relationships of Black and White people living in
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...
. This racial conflict was a central theme in many of his works.
Early life
Born on May 9, 1897, in Washington, D.C., Rudolph Fisher grew up in
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...
. He was the youngest of three children born to Reverend John Wesley Fisher, a Baptist pastor, and Glendora Williamson Fisher.
Fisher graduated from
Classical High School
Classical High School, founded in 1843, is a public magnet school in the Providence School District, in Providence, Rhode Island. It was originally an all-male school but has since become co-ed. Classical's motto is ''Certare, Petere, Reperire, ...
in 1915 with honors and further went to
Brown University where he studied English and biology, and graduated
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...
,
Delta Sigma Rho
Delta Sigma Rho- Tau Kappa Alpha () is a collegiate honor society devoted to the promotion of public speaking (forensics).
History
Both Delta Sigma Rho and Tau Kappa Alpha were founded as honorary forensic societies.
Delta Sigma Rho
Delta Sigm ...
, and
Sigma Xi
Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is a highly prestigious, non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a small group of graduate students in 1886 ...
.
/sup>">/sup> /sup>">/sup> During this time, he earned his Bachelor of Arts from Brown in 1919, where he delivered the valedictory address and received a Master of Arts a year later.
After graduating from Brown, Fisher took part in a Manhattan-based program titled "Four Negro Commencement Speakers" where he read his Brown commencement speech, "The Emancipation of Science". At Howard Medical School, he studied Radiology.
On April 14, 1923, in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, Fisher married Jane Ryder, a public school teacher, a year after meeting her. They had one child, a son, Hugh Ryder Fisher (1926–1964).
He later attended medical school at
Howard University
Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...
in Washington D.C, graduating with honors in 1924. Then, he came to New York City in 1925 to take up a fellowship of Physicians and Surgeons at
Columbia University's college, during which time he published two scientific articles of his research on treating
Bacteriophage viruses with
ultraviolet light
Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nanometer, nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 Hertz, PHz) to 400 nm (750 Hertz, THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than ...
.
In addition to researching and writing in medical and literary fields, Fisher also pursued his love for
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
. He played the piano and wrote musical scores. Fisher's ability to use all of his talents simultaneously was evident during his college years. The summer after his college graduation, he and
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplish ...
toured along the East Coast as a band.
Medical career
During the 1920s, Fisher published his research on the effect of ultraviolet rays on viruses in medical journals. He was a head researcher at Manhattan's International Hospital. His experience in the medical field helped him to get ideas for his writing on mystery, and it helped him to create illustrations of the human body. Fisher completed an internship at Freedman's Hospital in one year during 1925. In 1926, he and his wife moved to New York. Fisher then joined a prestigious board called the Fellow at the National Research Council of the
College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Fisher soon after became superintendent of the International Hospital in Harlem in 1927, and set up his private practice as a radiologist, with an X-ray laboratory of his own, in New York.
Literary career
Fisher started his professional writing career by contributing to journals, such as the
NAACP's magazine ''
The Crisis
''The Crisis'' is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). It was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois (editor), Oswald Garrison Villard, J. Max Barber, Charles Edward Russell, Kelly Mi ...
''. Fisher's first novel "''Walls of Jericho"'' came out in 1928. He was inspired by a friend's challenge to write this novel treating both the upper and lower classes of black Harlem equally. This novel presents a vision that African American men and women can both get ahead in life if they come together and form a bond against centuries of oppression. He then went on in 1932 to write "''The Conjure Man Dies"'', the first novel with a black detective as well as the first
detective novel
Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...
with only black characters. This novel was also set in Harlem. His novel was publicized by
Covici-Friede making him the second African American to write a detective novel in the United States. He also wrote two short stories, the first of the two "''City of Refuge''", appeared in the ''
Atlantic Monthly'' of February 1925, and the second, "''Vestiges"'' both appeared in
Alain Locke's anthology. These two short stories accurately depicted life and events during the Harlem Renaissance. Fisher's last published work, "''Miss Cynthie''" appeared in story magazine in 1933. It was a short story about a Southern migrant grandmother, Miss Cynthie. She arrived in Harlem to meet her successful grandson. She was a hard-working and religious woman who had raised her grandson in the South. She expected him to have established himself as a member of the black professional society. What she did not know was that his success emerged from being an entertainer in a theater which she viewed to be a sinful place. Although she is against what he does, she comes to realize that he has developed into an honest young man. Other short stories written by Rudolph Fisher are "High Yaller" in 1926, "Blades of Steel" in 1927, "Ringtail", "The South still lingers on", "Fire by night", "The promise land", "The Caucasian storms Harlem" in 1927 and "Common meter" in 1930.
As Oliver Henry states, "Fisher writes about black people in a manner which expresses their kinship with other peoples. He underscores and highlights the fundamental human condition of black Americans. ... He captures the historically induced unique qualities of black people; but, and perhaps even more importantly, he writes of them basically as people."
Participation in Pan-Africanism
Throughout his career, Fisher had an interest in
Pan-Africanism
Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...
, which is a movement that aims to encourage and strengthen unity of all African-Americans. It started in 1900.
Fisher supported the
Pan-African Congress, whose participants promoted self-determination for colonized Africans as a necessary prerequisite for complete social, economic and political emancipation. Unlike
Malcolm X
Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of I ...
,
Marcus Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African ...
, and
W.E. B. DuBois who tried to incorporate stereotypes of black exoticism into Pan-Africanism, Fisher focused on the broader struggle for black labor privilege and women's empowerment.
Death
Fisher died in 1934 at the age of 37 from abdominal cancer likely caused by his own x-ray experimentation. He was buried in
Woodlawn Cemetery in
The Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
.
Principal works
"The City of Refuge" (1925)
Rudolph Fisher's story "The City of Refuge" is centered on a Southern black man named King Solomon Gillis and his migration to Harlem, New York from North Carolina to escape
lynching. Gillis is amazed by the opportunity and freedom he sees when he first arrives in Harlem. Gillis meets a man named Uggam who helps him settle into Harlem and gets him a "job". Fisher presents the idea of a migrant's adjustment to the city during "Negro Harlem" and the race relations along the way. The story concludes with Gillis being duped by Uggam into selling "medicine" (drugs) for him, leading him to be arrested.
"High Yaller" (1925)
Story about light skin woman facing difficulties of cross-identity.
In the short story the main character Evelyn Brown faces inner turmoil all her life as she is a black woman who looks white and because of her complexion she is accused of favoring fair skinned people. To combat that accusation she becomes more engaged in the Black community and begins dating a young Black man by the name of Jay Martin. Their relationship brings more problems as the public become judgemental and unpleasant at the idea of their relationship. Both black and white people assume Evelyn is a white woman and Jay is a black man and shame them for being together. Fisher uses this story to comment on societal pressure to fit into a category, and to highlight the intraracial conflict within the Black community on people who do not look conventionally Black.
"Ringtail" (1925)
This short story published in T''he'' ''Atlantic Monthly,'' has the central theme of intraracial conflict among black inhabitants in Harlem during the 1920s and 1930s. Fisher addresses how Southern blacks and Caribbean immigrant blacks treated each other during this time and the prejudice attitudes that each ethnic group internalized. He used the characters Cyril Best, a black man from the Caribbean, and Punch Anderson, from the South, in order to show the relationship between these two groups. Best is described as "superior-minded" and "self-esteemed," while Anderson is said to have "the gift of humor and laughter." Differences among the characters such as these are emphasized throughout the story.
"The Caucasian Storms Harlem" essay (1927)
“The Caucasian Storms Harlem” by Rudolph Fisher was published in 1927 in the American Mercury. This essay highlights a cultural change after the Harlem Renaissance from Fisher's point of view. Fisher returned to Harlem and was astounded by the drastic change in the cabaret night scene, what was once a Black dominated space due to segregation was now a White attraction. Fisher reflects on his early days in Harlem by detailing his experiences in popular cabaret's of the times. One being “The Oriental” where promising jazz figures like Henry Creamer and Turner Lyton frequented before becoming prominent names in Jazz. The next cabaret being Edmonds’ where Fisher details Ethel Waters talent and performances of genuine blues before she became a prominent figure in Blues. Fisher mentions other cabarets and the ambiance they provided for young African Americans at the time. He then explores the different reasons why caucasians are beginning to frequent these types of establishments, one being that White people have always had a fascination with Black entertainment, the next being the people that made these scenes lively were separating and moving to different countries for better job opportunities, and finally, that White people were finally understanding the allure of Black music and culture and want to be a part of it.
''The Walls of Jericho'' (1928)
''The Walls of Jericho'', Fisher's first novel, is about Black life in Harlem. In this novel, he addresses the conflict and distrust among the "dickties" and "rats", or upper class and lower class Blacks living in Harlem. The "dickties" main goal is to assimilate to white culture and life in order to be accepted and prosper in New York. The "rats" are distrustful of White people and "dickties", as they believe the "dickties" want to desperately be White and are going against the Black community during this process. These two groups live in completely different neighborhoods and only interact in certain social spheres, such as during the annual G.I.A Ball. Fisher also states that "rats" and "dickties" have distinct physical features as well, making them even more different from each other. "Rats" tend to be described as darker in Fisher's novel while many "dickties" have lighter skin and lighter hair. These features also contribute to the tension between the upper and lower class in ''The Walls of Jericho,'' as it is easy for "dickties" to blend into the White community.
Fisher uses the interactions of several characters in this novel to display how intense the conflict between African Americans in Harlem was. Merritt is one of these characters. He is a "dicktie" and a successful Black lawyer who is making a bold choice by moving into a White neighborhood in Harlem. Many "rats" see this as betrayal, such as the characters Jinx, Bubber, and Shine. Merritt at first is one of the kinder and more humbled "dickties", who is respectful to these three men who help him move into his new home. We see later in the novel however, that Merrit has shown contempt and hate for "rats" in the past. He threatened to sue Henry Patmore, a lower-class man, for $10,000 after he accidentally hit a pedestrian. Patmore has hated "dickties" since this interaction, so much so that he burns down Merritt's new home. Merritt's White neighbors are blamed for this crime at first, and then later Patmore is discovered as being the culprit. The theme of intraracial conflict is presented in Fisher's first novel ''The Walls of Jericho.''
''The Conjure-Man Dies'' (1932)
![Conjur-Man-Dies-Playbill](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Conjur-Man-Dies-Playbill.jpg)
''The Conjure-Man Dies'' is Fisher's second and last novel, a
murder mystery set in Harlem. Fisher incorporates mystery and slight comedy in this story.
Fisher uses the stories of his characters to mirror the culture in Harlem at the time.
The plot deals with the murder of
conjure-man N'Gana Frimbo, found dead by one of his clients, Jinx Jenkins. Perry Dart, a detective of the Harlem police department, and physician John Archer start to investigate. They discover Frimbo had been hit on the head with a club from his own collection of African curios and then suffocated with a handkerchief stuffed down his throat.
Dart and Archer discover Frimbo met with six other people before his death: his landlord Mrs. Crouch, Aramintha Snead, Jenkins,
numbers runner Spider Webb, drug addict Doty Hicks, and railroad worker Easley Jones. Frimbo's assistant also becomes a suspect when the man disappears without a trace. Dart and Archer discover the handkerchief belonged to Jenkins and arrest him on suspicion of murder.
Frimbo is discovered alive, with no recollection of who attempted to kill him. Jenkins' friend Bubber Brown, sorry to see Jenkins behind bars, begins his own investigation. Brown discovers that Frimbo may have been targeted due to his involvement in a war between two rival numbers runners, one of whom employs Spider Webb. Brown breaks into Frimbo's home and watches Frimbo burn the remains of his assistant.
At another gathering of the suspects, Frimbo reveals the truth: Fearing reprisals from Webb's employer, he and his assistant switched places. His assistant was killed while posing as Frimbo. He
cremated
Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning.
Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...
the assistant in accordance with an ancient African rite which has been in his family for generations. The murderer is revealed as Easley Jones, who in turn is revealed as Mrs. Crouch's husband in disguise. He had discovered his wife was having an affair with Frimbo and posed as a client in order to get Frimbo alone and kill him. Crouch stole Jenkins' handkerchief and the club while they were in the waiting room.
After Fisher's death in 1934, the novel was turned into a play in 1936. The characters of Dart and Archer reappear in the short story ''John Archer's Nose''.
"Miss Cynthie" (1933)
"Miss Cynthie" is a short story, published in 1933 in Story Magazine. In the story, Miss Cynthie arrives in New York city from Waxhaw, South Carolina. She has come to Harlem to meet her grandson, Dave Tappen, whom she raised after his mother's death. When Miss Cynthie discovers her grandson has chosen a career in theater, she is heartbroken. One day, Dave overhears Miss Cynthie singing and leads her to a theater. Dave stands onstage next to Cynthie and sings a song that Cynthie taught him when he was a child. Miss Cynthie realizes how much her grandson adores her.
Bibliography
Unless noted, Rudolph Fisher's bibliography is drawn from ''African American Authors, 1745–1945: Bio-bibliographical Critical Sourcebook'', edited by Emmanuel Sampath Nelson.
Short stories
* "The City of Refuge". ''
The Atlantic Monthly
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'', February 1925.
*"The South Lingers On". ''
Survey Graphic'', March 1925.
* "Vestige". ''
The New Negro: An Interpretation'', 1925.
* "Ringtail". ''The Atlantic Monthly'', May 1925.
* "High Yaller". ''
The Crisis
''The Crisis'' is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). It was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois (editor), Oswald Garrison Villard, J. Max Barber, Charles Edward Russell, Kelly Mi ...
'', October 1925.
* "The Promised Land". ''The Atlantic Monthly'', January 1927.
*"The Backslider". ''
McClure's
''McClure's'' or ''McClure's Magazine'' (1893–1929) was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with having started the tradition of muckraking journalism ( investigative, wa ...
'', August 1927.
* "Blades of Steel". ''The Atlantic Monthly'', August 1927.
* "Fire by Night". ''McClure's'' , December 1927.
* "Common Meter". ''
Baltimore Afro-American
The ''Baltimore Afro-American'', commonly known as ''The Afro'' or ''Afro News'', is a weekly African-American newspaper published in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the flagship newspaper of the ''AFRO-American'' chain and the longest-running Africa ...
'', February 1930.
* "Dust". ''
Opportunity
Opportunity may refer to:
Places
* Opportunity, Montana, an unincorporated community, United States
* Opportunity, Nebraska, an unincorporated community, United States
* Opportunity, Washington, a former census-designated place, United States
* ...
'', February 1931.
* "Ezkiel". ''Junior Red Cross News'', March 1932.
* "Ezkiel Learns". ''Junior Red Cross News'', February 1933.
* "Guardian of the Law". ''Opportunity'', March 1933.
* "Miss Cynthie". ''
Story
Story or stories may refer to:
Common uses
* Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events)
** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting
* Story (American English), or storey (British ...
'', June 1933.
* "John Archer's Nose". ''
Metropolitan Magazine'', January 1935. (Features characters from ''The Conjure Man Dies'')
Novels
* ''The Walls of Jericho'' (1928)
* ''The Conjure Man Dies: A Mystery Tale of Dark Harlem'' (1932)
Essays
* "Action of Ultraviolet Light upon Bacteriophage and Filterable Viruses". ''Proceedings of the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine'' 23. (1926).
* "The Caucasian Storms Harlem". ''
The American Mercury
''The American Mercury'' was an American magazine published from 1924Staff (Dec. 31, 1923)"Bichloride of Mercury."''Time''. to 1981. It was founded as the brainchild of H. L. Mencken and drama critic George Jean Nathan. The magazine featured wri ...
'' 11 (1927).
* "The Resistance of Different Concentrations of a Bacteriophage of Ultraviolet Rays". ''Journal of Infectious Diseases'' 40 (1927).
Awards
* 1919: Brown Beta Kappa Key
* 1919: Brown University commencement speaker
* 1924: Honors from Howard Medical School
* 1925: ''The Crisis'' Spingarn Prize
* 1927: Brown University Class Day Orator
See also
*
Countee Cullen
Countee Cullen (born Countee LeRoy Porter; May 30, 1903 – January 9, 1946) was an American poet, novelist, children's writer, and playwright, particularly well known during the Harlem Renaissance.
Early life
Childhood
Countee LeRoy Porter ...
*
Langston Hughes
*
Zora Neale Hurston
*
Wallace Thurman
Wallace Henry Thurman (August 16, 1902 – December 22, 1934) was an American novelist active during the Harlem Renaissance. He also wrote essays, worked as an editor, and was a publisher of short-lived newspapers and literary journals. He is be ...
References
External links
*
Rudolph Fisher Newsletter– includes helpful research resources on the Harlem Renaissance as well as Fisher himself.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fisher, Rudolph
1897 births
1934 deaths
American radiologists
African-American novelists
Classical High School alumni
Harlem Renaissance
Brown University alumni
Howard University alumni
Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)
Novelists from Rhode Island
Novelists from New York (state)
Novelists from Washington, D.C.
20th-century African-American people