''The Book of American Negro Poetry'' is a 1922 poetry anthology that was compiled by

James Weldon Johnson James Weldon Johnson (June 17, 1871June 26, 1938) was an American writer and civil rights activist. He was married to civil rights activist Grace Nail Johnson. Johnson was a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peop ...

. The first edition, published in 1922, was "the first of its kind ever published" and included the works of thirty-one poets. A second edition was released in 1931 with works by nine additional poets.

Background

The

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the t ...

was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American life centered 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 (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

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 ...

, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. A major aspect of this revival was poetry. Hundreds of poems were written and published by African Americans during the era, which covered a wide variety of themes. The

Poetry Foundation The Poetry Foundation is an American literary society that seeks to promote poetry and lyricism in the wider culture. It was formed from ''Poetry'' magazine, which it continues to publish, with a 2003 gift of $200 million from philanthropist Rut ...

wrote that poets in the Harlem Renaissance "explored the beauty and pain of black life and sought to define themselves and their community outside of white stereotypes." Poets such as

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...

, and

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 ...

became well known for their poetry, which was often inspired by jazz. The poetry of the era was published in several different ways, notably in the form of anthologies. ''The Book of American Negro Poetry'' (1922), '' Negro Poets and Their Poems'' (1923), ''

An Anthology of Verse by American Negroes ''An Anthology of Verse by American Negroes'' is a 1924 poetry anthology compiled by Newman Ivey White and Walter Clinton Jackson. The anthology is considered one of the major anthologies of black poetry to be published during the Harlem Renaissanc ...

'' (1924), and ''

Caroling Dusk ''Caroling Dusk: An Anthology of Verse by Black Poets of the Twenties: Anthology of Black Verse'' is a 1927 poetry anthology that was edited by Countee Cullen. It has been republished at least three times, in 1955, 1974, and 1995 and included work ...

'' (1927) have been cited as four major poetry anthologies of the Harlem Renaissance.

Publishing

At the time Johnson edited the anthology, he was executive secretary of the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

. The anthology was "the first of its kind ever published", according to the

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is a research library of the New York Public Library (NYPL) and an archive repository for information on people of African descent worldwide. Located at 515 Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Avenue) b ...

. The first edition was published by Harcourt, Brace, and Company in 1922 and was 217 pages long. There is a forty-seven page preface written by Johnson and the collection ends with a "biographical index" containing information about the poets whose work is included. A second edition, also published by Harcourt, was released in 1931. The second edition included a new preface and nine additional poets.

Poets

The Book of American Negro Poetry ''The Book of American Negro Poetry'' is a 1922 poetry anthology that was compiled by James Weldon Johnson. The first edition, published in 1922, was "the first of its kind ever published" and included the works of thirty-one poets. A second editio ...

'' incorporates works by thirty-one poets:

Reception

The Schomburg Center wrote that the anthology "may be considered his ohnson'smost important contribution to African American literature." A reviewer of the first publication wrote in ''

The Journal of African American History ''The Journal of African American History'', formerly ''The Journal of Negro History'' (1916–2001), is a quarterly academic journal covering African-American life and history. It was founded in 1916 by Carter G. Woodson. The journal is owned and ...

'' that the collection was a valuable source of information. A review published in ''

The News & Observer ''The News & Observer'' is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The paper is the largest in circulation in the state (second is the '' Charlotte Observer''). The paper has be ...

'' described the anthology as "most illuminating" and "valuable". They wrote that the anthology provided an opportunity to provide deserving recognition to African American poetry. The second edition received a review in ''

Pacific Affairs ''Pacific Affairs'' (''PA'') is a Canadian peer-reviewed scholarly journal that publishes academic research on contemporary political, economic, and social issues in Asia and the Pacific. The journal was founded in 1926 as the newsletter for the ...

''. The reviewer particularly praised Johnson's preface, and described the anthology as "a splendid piece of writing, valuable to all those interested in race relations." Another review of this edition, published in ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

'', considered it to suffer "from not being sufficiently inclusive", but still felt it to be "a valuable" record "of what poetry the Negro has contributed to American letters".

References

External links

* {{Google books, PgJaAAAAMAAJ, The Book of American Negro Poetry 1922 poetry books American poetry anthologies