With 200,000 copies in print, this anthology has for decades been seen as a fundamental collection of African-American verse. Bontemps (1902-73), an important figure during and after the Harlem Renaissance, author of more than 25 vels, and longtime librarian at Fisk University, last revised this classic anthology just before his death, adding such crucial new voices as Audre Lorde, Nikki Giovanni, and Bob Kaufman, among others.This edition, issued in 1996, reprints the poems in Bontemps's revised volume along with updated biographical tes. Nearly seventy poets are represented, their works indexed by both author and title.
Former Historian Librarian and Teacher Arna Bontemps
Introduction by
Former Historian Librarian and Teacher Arna Bontemps
Series Title
American Century
Content Note
Black & White Illustrations
Author Biography
Arna Bontemps (1902-1973), produced more than twenty-five novels, anthologies, children's books, and histories of black life, including the novel God Sends Sunday and The Story of the Negro. Bontemps's later years were spent at Fisk University as chief librarian and writer-in-residence.