HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Paul Laurence Dunbar (June 27, 1872 – February 9, 1906) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in
Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County, Ohio, Greene County. The 2020 United S ...
, to parents who had been enslaved in
Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
before the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
, Dunbar began writing stories and verse when he was a child. He published his first poems at the age of 16 in a Dayton newspaper, and served as president of his high school's literary society. Dunbar's popularity increased rapidly after his work was praised by
William Dean Howells William Dean Howells (; March 1, 1837 – May 11, 1920) was an American realist novelist, literary critic, and playwright, nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters". He was particularly known for his tenure as editor of ''The Atlantic Monthly'', ...
, a leading editor associated with ''
Harper's Weekly ''Harper's Weekly, A Journal of Civilization'' was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor, ...
''. Dunbar became one of the first African-American writers to establish an international reputation. In addition to his poems, short stories, and novels, he also wrote the lyrics for the musical comedy ''
In Dahomey ''In Dahomey: A Negro Musical Comedy'' is a landmark 1903 American musical comedy described by theatre historian Gerald Bordman as "the first full-length musical written and played by blacks to be performed at a major Broadway house."Bordman, G ...
'' (1903), the first all-African-American musical produced on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
in New York. The musical later toured in the United States and the United Kingdom. Suffering from
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...
, which then had no cure, Dunbar died in Dayton, Ohio, at the age of 33. Much of Dunbar's more popular work in his lifetime was written in the " Negro dialect" associated with the antebellum South, though he also used the Midwestern regional dialect of James Whitcomb Riley. Dunbar also wrote in conventional English in other poetry and novels and is considered the first important African American sonnet writer. Since the late 20th century, scholars have become more interested in these other works.


Biography


Early life

Paul Laurence Dunbar was born at 311 Howard Street in
Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County, Ohio, Greene County. The 2020 United S ...
, on June 27, 1872, to parents who were enslaved in Kentucky before the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
.Alexander, 17. After being emancipated, his mother Matilda moved to Dayton with other family members, including her two sons Robert and William from her first marriage. Dunbar's father Joshua escaped from slavery in Kentucky before the war ended. He traveled to
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
and volunteered for the
55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment The 55th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was the sister regiment of the renowned Massachusetts 54th Volunteers during the latter half of the American Civil War. The enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation by United States President Abraham L ...
, one of the first two black units to serve in the war. The senior Dunbar also served in the
5th Massachusetts Cavalry Regiment The 5th Regiment Massachusetts Colored Volunteer Cavalry (or 5th Regiment, Massachusetts Cavalry (Colored)) was a cavalry regiment from Massachusetts, that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The regiment was orga ...
. Paul Dunbar was born six months after Joshua and Matilda's wedding on Christmas Eve, 1871. The marriage of Dunbar's parents was troubled, and Dunbar's mother left Joshua soon after having their second child, a daughter. Joshua died on August 16, 1885, when Paul was 13 years old.Wagner, 75. Dunbar wrote his first poem at the age of six and gave his first public recital at the age of nine. His mother assisted him in his schooling, having learned to read expressly for that purpose. She often read the Bible with him, and thought he might become a minister in the
African Methodist Episcopal Church The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination. It adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian theology and has a connexional polity. The African Methodist Episcopal ...
.Best, 13. It was the first independent black denomination in America, founded in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
in the early 19th century. Dunbar was the only African-American student during his years at Central High School in Dayton. Orville Wright was a classmate and friend. Well-accepted, he was elected as president of the school's literary society, and became the editor of the school newspaper and a debate club member.


Writing career

At the age of 16, Dunbar published the poems "Our Martyred Soldiers" and "On The River" in 1888 in Dayton's '' The Herald'' newspaper. In 1890 Dunbar wrote and edited ''The Tattler'', Dayton's first weekly African-American newspaper. It was printed by the fledgling company of his high-school acquaintances, Wilbur and Orville Wright. The paper lasted six weeks. After completing his formal schooling in 1891, Dunbar took a job as an elevator operator, earning a salary of four dollars a week. He had hoped to study law, but was not able to because of his mother's limited finances. He was restricted at work because of racial discrimination. The next year, Dunbar asked the Wrights to publish his dialect poems in book form, but the brothers did not have a facility that could print books. They suggested he go to the United Brethren Publishing House which, in 1893, printed Dunbar's first collection of poetry, ''Oak and Ivy''. Dunbar subsidized the printing of the book, and quickly earned back his investment in two weeks by selling copies personally, often to passengers on his elevator.Alexander, 38. The larger section of the book, the ''Oak'' section, consisted of traditional verse, whereas the smaller section, the ''Ivy'', featured light poems written in dialect. The work attracted the attention of James Whitcomb Riley, the popular "Hoosier Poet". Both Riley and Dunbar wrote poems in both standard English and dialect. His literary gifts were recognized, and older men offered to help him financially. Attorney Charles A. Thatcher offered to pay for college, but Dunbar wanted to persist with writing, as he was encouraged by his sales of poetry. Thatcher helped promote Dunbar, arranging work to read his poetry in the larger city of Toledo at "libraries and literary gatherings." In addition, psychiatrist Henry A. Tobey took an interest and assisted Dunbar by helping distribute his first book in Toledo and sometimes offering him financial aid. Together, Thatcher and Tobey supported the publication of Dunbar's second verse collection, ''Majors and Minors'' (1896). Despite frequently publishing poems and occasionally giving public readings, Dunbar had difficulty supporting himself and his mother. Many of his efforts were unpaid and he was a reckless spender, leaving him in debt by the mid-1890s. On June 27, 1896, the novelist, editor, and critic
William Dean Howells William Dean Howells (; March 1, 1837 – May 11, 1920) was an American realist novelist, literary critic, and playwright, nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters". He was particularly known for his tenure as editor of ''The Atlantic Monthly'', ...
published a favorable review of Dunbar's second book, ''Majors and Minors'' in ''
Harper's Weekly ''Harper's Weekly, A Journal of Civilization'' was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor, ...
''. Howells' influence brought national attention to the poet's writing. Though Howell praised the "honest thinking and true feeling" in Dunbar's traditional poems, he particularly praised the dialect poems. In this period, there was an appreciation for folk culture, and black dialect was believed to express one type of that. The new literary fame enabled Dunbar to publish his first two books as a collected volume, titled ''Lyrics of Lowly Life'', which included an introduction by Howells. Dunbar maintained a lifelong friendship with the Wright brothers. Through his poetry, he met and became associated with black leaders
Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1817 or 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became ...
and
Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...
, and was close to his contemporary James D. Corrothers. Dunbar also became a friend of
Brand Whitlock Brand Whitlock (March 4, 1869 – May 24, 1934) was an American journalist, attorney, politician, Georgist, four-time mayor of Toledo, Ohio elected on the Independent ticket; ambassador to Belgium, and author of numerous articles and books, both ...
, a journalist in Toledo who went to work in Chicago. Whitlock joined the state government and had a political and diplomatic career.Paul Laurence Dunbar, Printed Material
By the late 1890s, Dunbar started to explore the short story and novel forms; in the latter, he frequently featured white characters and society.


Later work

Dunbar was prolific during his relatively short career: he published a dozen books of poetry, four books of short stories, four novels, lyrics for a musical, and a play. His first collection of short stories, ''Folks From Dixie'' (1898), a sometimes "harsh examination of racial prejudice", had favorable reviews. This was not the case for his first novel, ''The Uncalled'' (1898), which critics described as "dull and unconvincing". Dunbar explored the spiritual struggles of a white minister Frederick Brent, who had been abandoned as a child by his alcoholic father and raised by a virtuous white spinster, Hester Prime. (Both the minister and woman's names recalled
Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...
's ''
The Scarlet Letter ''The Scarlet Letter: A Romance'' is a work of historical fiction by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1850. Set in the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony during the years 1642 to 1649, the novel tells the story of Hester Prynne ...
,'' which featured a central character named Hester Prynne.) With this novel, Dunbar has been noted as one of the first African Americans to cross the " color line" by writing a work solely about white society. Critics at the time complained about his handling of the material, not his subject. The novel was not a commercial success. Dunbar's next two novels also explored lives and issues in white culture, and some contemporary critics found these lacking as well. However, literary critic
Rebecca Ruth Gould Rebecca Ruth Gould is a writer, translator, and Professor of Islamic Studies and Comparative Literature at the University of Birmingham. Her academic interests are the Caucasus, Comparative Literature, Islam, Islamic Law, Islamic Studies, Persian ...
argues that one of these, '' The Sport of the Gods'', culminates as an object lesson in the power of shame – a key component of the scapegoat mentality – to limit the law’s capacity to deliver justice. In collaboration with the composer
Will Marion Cook William Mercer Cook (January 27, 1869 – July 19, 1944), better known as Will Marion Cook, was an American composer, violinist, and choral director.Riis, Thomas (2007–2011)Cook, Will Marion ''Grove Music Online.'' Oxford Music Online. Retrieved ...
, and Jesse A. Shipp, who wrote the libretto, Dunbar wrote the lyrics for ''
In Dahomey ''In Dahomey: A Negro Musical Comedy'' is a landmark 1903 American musical comedy described by theatre historian Gerald Bordman as "the first full-length musical written and played by blacks to be performed at a major Broadway house."Bordman, G ...
,'' the first musical written and performed entirely by African Americans. It was produced on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
in 1903; the musical comedy successfully toured England and the United States over a period of four years and was one of the more successful theatrical productions of its time. Dunbar's essays and poems were published widely in the leading journals of the day, including ''
Harper's Weekly ''Harper's Weekly, A Journal of Civilization'' was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor, ...
'', the ''
Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely ...
'', the ''
Denver Post ''The Denver Post'' is a daily newspaper and website published in Denver, Colorado. As of June 2022, it has an average print circulation of 57,265. In 2016, its website received roughly six million monthly unique visitors generating more than 1 ...
'', ''Current Literature'' and others. During his life, commentators often noted that Dunbar appeared to be purely black African, at a time when many leading members of the African-American community were notably of
mixed race Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-ethn ...
, often with considerable European ancestry. In 1897 Dunbar traveled to England for a literary tour; he recited his works on the London circuit. He met the young black composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, who set some of Dunbar's poems to music. Coleridge-Taylor was influenced by Dunbar to use African and American Negro songs and tunes in future compositions. Also living in London at the time, African-American playwright Henry Francis Downing arranged a joint recital for Dunbar and Coleridge-Taylor, under the patronage of
John Hay John Milton Hay (October 8, 1838July 1, 1905) was an American statesman and official whose career in government stretched over almost half a century. Beginning as a private secretary and assistant to Abraham Lincoln, Hay's highest office was U ...
, a former aide to President
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...
, and at that time the American ambassador to Great Britain. Downing also lodged Dunbar in London while the poet worked on his first novel, ''The Uncalled'' (1898). Dunbar was active in the area of civil rights and the uplifting of African Americans. He was a participant in the March 5, 1897, meeting to celebrate the memory of abolitionist
Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1817 or 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became ...
. The attendees worked to found the American Negro Academy under
Alexander Crummell Alexander Crummell (March 3, 1819 – September 10, 1898) was a pioneering African-American minister, academic and African nationalist. Ordained as an Episcopal priest in the United States, Crummell went to England in the late 1840s to raise money ...
.


Marriage and declining health

After returning from the United Kingdom, Dunbar married
Alice Ruth Moore Alice Dunbar Nelson (July 19, 1875 – September 18, 1935) was an American poet, journalist, and political activist. Among the first generation born free in the South after the Civil War, she was one of the prominent African Americans involved i ...
, on March 6, 1898. She was a teacher and poet from
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
whom he had met three years earlier. Dunbar called her "the sweetest, smartest little girl I ever saw". A graduate of Straight University (now Dillard University), a
historically black college Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. Mo ...
, Moore is best known for her short story collection, ''Violets''. She and her husband also wrote books of poetry as companion pieces. An account of their love, life and marriage was portrayed in ''Oak and Ivy,'' a 2001 play by Kathleen McGhee-Anderson. In October 1897 Dunbar took a job at the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...
in Washington, DC. He and his wife moved to the capital, where they lived in the comfortable LeDroit Park neighborhood. At the urging of his wife, Dunbar soon left the job to focus on his writing, which he promoted through public readings. While in Washington, DC, Dunbar attended
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 ...
after the publication of ''Lyrics of Lowly Life''. In 1900, he was diagnosed with
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...
, then often fatal, and his doctors recommended drinking
whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden ca ...
to alleviate his symptoms. On the advice of his doctors, he moved to
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...
with his wife, as the cold, dry mountain air was considered favorable for TB patients. Dunbar and his wife separated in 1902, after he nearly beat her to death but they never divorced. Depression and declining health drove him to a dependence on alcohol, which further damaged his health. Dunbar returned to Dayton in 1904 to be with his mother. He died of tuberculosis on February 9, 1906, at the age of 33. He was
interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...
in the Woodland Cemetery in Dayton.


Literary style

Dunbar's work is known for its close attention to craft in his formal poetry as well as his dialect poetry. These traits were well matched to the tune-writing ability of
Carrie Jacobs-Bond Carrie Minetta Jacobs-Bond (August 11, 1862 – December 28, 1946) was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter who composed some 175 pieces of popular music from the 1890s through the early 1940s. She is perhaps best remembered for writing t ...
(1862–1946), with whom he collaborated.


Use of dialect

Dunbar wrote much of his work in conventional English, while using
African-American dialect African-American English (or AAE; also known as Black American English, or Black English in American linguistics) is the set of English sociolects spoken by most Black people in the United States and many in Canada; most commonly, it refers ...
for some of it, as well as regional dialects. Dunbar felt there was something suspect about the marketability of dialect poems, as if blacks were limited to a constrained form of expression not associated with the educated class. One interviewer reported that Dunbar told him, "I am tired, so tired of dialect", though he is also quoted as saying, "my natural speech is dialect" and "my love is for the Negro pieces".Nettels, 83. Dunbar credited William Dean Howells with promoting his early success, but was dismayed at the critic's encouragement that he concentrate on dialect poetry. Angered that editors refused to print his more traditional poems, Dunbar accused Howells of " oingme irrevocable harm in the dictum he laid down regarding my dialect verse." Dunbar was continuing in a literary tradition that used Negro dialect; his predecessors included such writers as
Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has pr ...
,
Joel Chandler Harris Joel Chandler Harris (December 9, 1848 – July 3, 1908) was an American journalist, fiction writer, and folklorist best known for his collection of Uncle Remus stories. Born in Eatonton, Georgia, where he served as an apprentice on a planta ...
and George Washington Cable. Two brief examples of Dunbar's work, the first in standard English and the second in dialect, demonstrate the diversity of the poet's works: (From "Dreams") :''What dreams we have and how they fly'' :''Like rosy clouds across the sky;'' :''Of wealth, of fame, of sure success,'' :''Of love that comes to cheer and bless;'' :''And how they wither, how they fade,'' :''The waning wealth, the jilting jade —'' :''The fame that for a moment gleams,'' :''Then flies forever, — dreams, ah — dreams!'' (From "A Warm Day In Winter") :''"Sunshine on de medders,'' :''Greenness on de way;'' :''Dat's de blessed reason'' :''I sing all de day."'' :''Look hyeah! What you axing'?'' :''What meks me so merry?'' :'' 'Spect to see me sighin :''W'en hit's wa'm in Febawary?''


Critical response and legacy

Dunbar became the first African-American poet to earn national distinction and acceptance. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' called him "a true singer of the people – white or black."
Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1817 or 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became ...
once referred to Dunbar as, "one of the sweetest songsters his race has produced and a man of whom e hopedgreat things." His friend and writer
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 ...
highly praised Dunbar, writing in '' The Book of American Negro Poetry:''
Paul Laurence Dunbar stands out as the first poet from the Negro race in the United States to show a combined mastery over poetic material and poetic technique, to reveal innate literary distinction in what he wrote, and to maintain a high level of performance. He was the first to rise to a height from which he could take a perspective view of his own race. He was the first to see objectively its humor, its superstitions, its short-comings; the first to feel sympathetically its heart-wounds, its yearnings, its aspirations, and to voice them all in a purely literary form.
This collection was published in 1931, following 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 ...
, which led to a great outpouring of literary and artistic works by African American people. They explored new topics, expressing ideas about urban life and migration to the North. In his writing, Johnson also criticized Dunbar for his dialect poems, saying they had fostered stereotypes of blacks as comical or pathetic, and reinforced the restriction that blacks write only about scenes of
antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum ar ...
plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Th ...
life in the South. Dunbar has continued to influence other writers, lyricists, and composers. Composer William Grant Still used excerpts from four dialect poems by Dunbar as epigraphs for the four movements of his Symphony No. 1 in A-flat, "Afro-American" (1930). The next year it was premiered, the first symphony by an African American to be performed by a major orchestra for a US audience. Dunbar's vaudeville song "Who Dat Say Chicken in Dis Crowd?" may have influenced the development of " Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say gonna beat dem Saints?", the popular chant associated with the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
football team, according to Dunbar scholar
Hollis Robbins Hollis Robbins (born 1963) is an American academic and essayist; Robbins currently serves as Dean of Humanities at University of Utah. Her scholarship focuses on African-American literature. Education and early career Robbins was born and raised ...
.
Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and ...
titled her autobiography '' I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings'' (1969) from a line in Dunbar's poem "
Sympathy Sympathy is the perception of, understanding of, and reaction to the distress or need of another life form. According to David Hume, this sympathetic concern is driven by a switch in viewpoint from a personal perspective to the perspective of an ...
", at the suggestion of jazz musician and activist Abbey Lincoln. Angelou said that Dunbar's works had inspired her "writing ambition." She returns to his symbol of a caged bird as a chained slave in much of her writings. Dunbar's home in Dayton, Ohio, has been preserved as
Paul Laurence Dunbar House The Paul Laurence Dunbar House was the 1904–1906 home of poet Paul Laurence Dunbar in Dayton, Ohio. It is a historic house museum owned by the state of Ohio and operated by Dayton History on behalf of the Ohio Historical Society; it is also ...
, a state historical site that is included in the
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park in Dayton, Ohio that commemorates three important historical figures— Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, and poet Paul Laurence Dunbar—and th ...
, administered by the National Park Service.Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
National Park Service
* His residence in LeDroit Park in Washington, DC, still stands. * The Dunbar Library of Wright State University holds many of Dunbar's papers. * In 2002,
Molefi Kete Asante Molefi Kete Asante ( ; born Arthur Lee Smith Jr.; August 14, 1942) is an American professor and philosopher. He is a leading figure in the fields of African-American studies, African studies, and communication studies. He is currently professor ...
listed Paul Laurence Dunbar among his
100 Greatest African Americans ''100 Greatest African Americans'' is a biographical dictionary of one hundred historically great Black Americans (in alphabetical order; that is, they are not ranked), as assessed by Temple University professor Molefi Kete Asante in 2002. A s ...
.Asante, Molefi Kete (2002). ''100 Greatest African Americans: A Biographical Encyclopedia''. Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books. . Numerous schools and other places have been named in honor of Dunbar, including Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington, Kentucky, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Dayton, Ohio, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Baltimore, MD, Paul Laurence Dunbar Vocational High School in Chicago, Illinois, and several others. The library at
Wright State University Wright State University is a public research university in Fairborn, Ohio. Originally opened in 1964 as a branch campus of Miami University and Ohio State University, it became an independent institution in 1967 and was named in honor of aviation ...
in Dayton and a branch library in Dallas, Texas, are also named for Dunbar, whilst the
Dunbar Apartments The Dunbar Apartments, also known as the Paul Laurence Dunbar Garden Apartments or Dunbar Garden Apartments, is a complex of buildings located on West 149th and West 150th Streets between Frederick Douglass Boulevard/Macombs Place and Adam Clay ...
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 ...
, New York were built by
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. John Davison Rockefeller Jr. (January 29, 1874 – May 11, 1960) was an American financier and philanthropist, and the only son of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller. He was involved in the development of the vast office complex in ...
to provide housing for
African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
.


Bibliography

;Works of poetry * ''Oak and Ivy'' (1892)Best, 137. * ''Majors and Minors'' (1896) * ''Lyrics of Lowly Life'' (1896) * ''" We Wear the Mask"'' (1896) * ''Li'l' Gal'' (1896) * ''When Malindy Sings'' (1896) * ''Poems of Cabin and Field'' (1899) * ''The Haunted Oak'' (1900) * ''Candle-lightin' Time'' (1901) * ''Lyrics of the Hearthside'' published (1902), copyright date of 1899 * ''Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow'' (1905) * ''Joggin' Erlong'' (1906) ;Short stories and novels * ''Folks From Dixie'' (1898), short story collection"Paul Laurence Dunbar"
Poetry Foundation.
* ''The Uncalled'' (1898), novel * ''The Heart of Happy Hollow: A Collection of Stories''Browse authors: "Paul Laurence Dunbar, 1872–1906"
Gutenberg Project.
* ''The Strength of Gideon and Other Stories'' (1900). * ''The Love of Landry'' "was deemed unconvincing in its presentation of white characters and was dismissed as inferior to Dunbar's tales of blacks." * ''The Fanatics,'' "about America at the beginning of the Civil War. Its central characters are from white families who differ in their North-South sympathies and spark a dispute in their Ohio community. The Fanatics was a commercial failure upon publication, and in the ensuing years it has continued to be regarded as a superficial, largely uncompelling work." * '' The Sport of the Gods'' (1902), novel * ''In Old Plantation Days'' (1903), short story collection. ;Articles * "Representative American Negroes", in '' The Negro Problem'', by
Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, orator, and adviser to several presidents of the United States. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the dominant leader in the African-American c ...
, et al.


See also

* " Ode to Ethiopia", one poem in the collection ''Oak and Ivy.'' *
African-American literature African American literature is the body of literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent. It begins with the works of such late 18th-century writers as Phillis Wheatley. Before the high point of slave narratives, African ...
*
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park in Dayton, Ohio that commemorates three important historical figures— Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, and poet Paul Laurence Dunbar—and th ...
* Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, black composer


References


Notes


Works cited

* Alexander, Eleanor C. ''Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow: The Tragic Courtship and Marriage of Paul Laurence Dunbar and Alice Ruth Moore''. New York: New York University Press, 2001. . * Best, Felton O. ''Crossing the Color Line: A Biography of Paul Laurence Dunbar, 1872–1906''. Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co., 1996. . * Nettels, Elsa. ''Language, Race, and Social Class in Howells's America''. University Press of Kentucky, 1988. . * Wagner, Jean. ''Black Poets of the United States: From Paul Laurence Dunbar to Langston Hughes''. University of Illinois Press, 1973. .


Further reading

* Tim Brooks, ''Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry, 1890–1919'', pp. 260–267. University of Illinois Press, 2004. Early recordings of his work. * Lida Keck Wiggins
''The Life and Works of Paul Lawrence Dunbar''
Winston-Derek, 1992. .


External links

* * * *
Paul Laurence Dunbar: Online Resources
Library of Congress
Dunbar House State Historical Site
Ohio Historical Society
Dunbar House
is part of
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park in Dayton, Ohio that commemorates three important historical figures— Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, and poet Paul Laurence Dunbar—and th ...
, which includes both the Wright Brothers bicycle shop and Dunbar's home
"Paul Laurence Dunbar Library special collection"
Wright State University
"Paul Laurence Dunbar"
"Progressives and the Poet: How Toledo 'Discovered' Paul Laurence Dunbar", essay by Timothy Messer-Kruse
"Dunbar's Legacy of Language"
NPR, 2006 program marking the 100th anniversary of Dunbar's death; includes a poetry reading.
Paul Laurence Dunbar: Profile and Poems

Paul Laurence Dunbar in the ''New York Times'' (1897)
* Part of his life is retold in the radio drama
Before I Sleep
, a presentation from ''
Destination Freedom ''Destination Freedom'' was a weekly radio program produced by WMAQ in Chicago from 1948 to 1950 that presented biographical histories of prominent African-Americans such as George Washington Carver, Satchel Paige, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tu ...
'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunbar, Paul Laurence 1872 births 1906 deaths 19th-century American novelists 20th-century American novelists African-American novelists African-American poets Burials at Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Writers from Dayton, Ohio 20th-century American poets Poets from Ohio American male novelists American male poets 19th-century American poets African-American short story writers 19th-century American short story writers 19th-century American male writers 20th-century short story writers 20th-century American male writers Novelists from Ohio Tuberculosis deaths in Ohio 20th-century African-American writers African-American male writers 19th-century African-American writers