“paul laurence dunbar”

Dunbar was "the most promising young colored man" in 19th-century America, according to Frederick Douglass, and subsequently one of the most controversial. His plantation lyrics established Dunbar as the premier writer of dialect poetry and garnered him international recognition.Paul Laurence Dunbar... More

This classic story about a displaced Southern family's struggle to survive and prosper in early Harlem was one of the first novels to depict the harsh realities of ghetto life. Introduction by William Andrews, scholar of the Harlem Renaissance and of Antebellum literature.In this extraordinary novel... More

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.... More

Paul Laurence Dunbar, the first African-American to gain national eminence as a poet, was born in 1872 in Dayton, Ohio. The son of former slaves, he was a prolific author, writing short stories, novels, librettos, plays, songs and essays. However, it was for his poetry that he became famous, using w... More