Originally from Roxie, Mississippi, Wright’s struggle to get his word out and be heard saw him moved from place to place – from Memphis, Tennessee, to South Side Chicago and then to Europe and the world. This article provides all the important and interesting facts about the iconic African-American writer, Richard Wright.
Life Facts
- The author’s full birth name was Richard Nathaniel Wright
- He was born in Roxie, Mississippi, on September 4th of 1908 to his father Nathan Wright, and mother Ella Wright.
- Wright’s father, Nathan, didn’t have much education and worked as a farmer and sharecropper, while his mother, Ella, was a teacher.
- At about the age of five, Wright’s father deserted the family – a move which forced the family into more hardship and Wright’s mother into single parenthood.
- Wright’s grandparents were slaves, and his grandmother was particularly supportive of him and his brother at the early stage when they couldn’t stay in the orphanages.
Interesting Facts
- Richard Wright’s works were rated highly by many who believed they were paramount to the progressive change in the racial relations of American society.
- Wright moved to Harlem, New York, where he had his big break with ‘Native Son,’ but to afford this trip, he used up the cash he made from selling his earlier short story collection.
- He joined a communist party as a young adult, and their group was one that upheld leftish notions.
- Wright found his way into the limelight with his first major publication, a 1938 release of short stories titled, ‘Uncle Tom’s Children.’
- His trademark theme and subject of inspiration come from the unfair treatment of black people in America.
Famous Books by Richard Wright
Richard Wright was an author whose personal life and experiences had a profound influence on his literary works. Having shown interest in writing – defiantly – and from a very young age, Wright broke into the main stage of the industry through the brilliance of his short story writing skills – particularly with his ‘Uncle Tom’s Children’ collection, a series of tragic, mono-themed novellas inspired by the battered rights of the black people in America.
Just as how bold and daring Wright’s books and writings are, his personality also exuded courage, controversiality, and fearlessness, and this would explain why he was one of the few men of his generation to dare to write and critically talk about not only the day to day biases black men face but also on the government policies that supported the endurance of such a shambolic reality.
Wright, without taking no for an answer, continued his quest for freedom through his many publications – including novels, poems, essays, and several hundredths articles for conventional news outlets. Today, Wright’s literary contributions are considered an important instrument that aided in driving social change in America’s racial relations, as well as a vital precursor for the later civil rights movements of the 60s. Here are the highlights of all the famous books written by Richard Wright.
‘Native Son’ is Richard Wright’s bestseller and most acclaimed book, and follows the tragic story of a poor black boy called Bigger Thomas, whose stubbornness and disregard of the counsel of his mother leads him into a wayward life. Spurred by black hatred in his society, Bigger does all the wrong things – including being a member of a robbery gang. He has one chance to work a decent job as a chauffeur but accidentally murders his boss, a young wife lady, and the result is an all-white outcry for his execution – which eventually happens.
‘Black Boy’ follows Richard Wright’s autobiography, where he pens down his deeply touching struggles – tracking through his childhood up until adulthood – about what it truly means to be a black man living in such trying times for the race as in the early 1920s, 30s, and 40s.
‘The Man Who Lived Underground’ is a classic noir following the prototype Wright’s theme and revolves around the life and struggles of Fred Daniels, a black young man, who is framed for murder in his south side Chicago neighborhood. He is later released and forced to take shelter in the most abysmal trenches in the city.
‘Uncle Tom’s Children’ is one of the earliest works published by Richard Wright and rightfully so, the one that announced his talent to the world. It is a chain of tales of black struggles post-slave era and their resilience against a politically stronger white race. Its initial 1938 release had four stories, but later adjustments saw the stories increase to six. This collection was not only commendable by critics but also saw substantial commercial success which then paved the way for the release of later ‘Native Son.’
Early Life and Education
Life wasn’t nearly as easy as Wright and his brother would have wanted. Worse was the oppressive and stifling conditions black people, such as Wright and his relatives, were made to live through. With government regulations like Jim Crow Laws, black people had no good jobs, were cornered in slum places, and were heavily marginalized in terms of other rights and social amenities.
By the time Wright turned five years old, his father had abandoned him, his brother, and their mother with no assets or property to support themselves. Forced extra hardship on Ella, who is now a single mother, worked different shifts as a cook and maid to be able to provide for Wright and his brother (by this time, Wright’s father had moved the family to Memphis, Tennessee, and abandoned them). Illness and an inability to keep up with providing means, however, forced her to give them up to the orphanages, but later retrieved them and returned to Mississippi to live with her mother and Wright’s grandmother.
Wright had a fair amount of formal education in Mississippi – up to at least the ninth grade and began exposing himself to books. He, however immediately got into trouble with his grandmother, who felt the exposure was corrupting him. Wright picked up a couple of odd jobs to do, and in 1927 he moved north to Chicago, where he had the freedom to further educate himself and join a progressive communist movement.
Literary Career and Achievements
Wright published ‘Uncle Tom’s Children’ the following year, and the book became a catalyst for his career, earning him a cash prize as he was also awarded a Guggenheim Fellow. He released ‘Native Son’ in 1938 and in three weeks sold over 250,000 copies – making him one of the first best-selling black authors in America.
Wright continued to power on and in 1945, published his autobiographical novel, ‘Black Boy.’ By this time, Wright had become famous and successful and did more touring the world and writing essay critiques about black mistreatment in society. Settling in Paris after some time touring Europe, Wright published his later works including, ‘Black Power,’ ‘The Outsider,’ ‘Long Dream’ and ‘White Man, Listen!’ – before he eventually gave up to a heart attack in 1960.
Literature by Richard Wright
Explore literature by Richard Wright below, created by the team at Book Analysis.
