Richard Wright, Native Son

Patrick Chura (University of Akron)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.5: African American Writing and Culture of the United States.
Vol. editors: Philathia Bolton (University of Akron), Patrick Chura (University of Akron), J. Michael Duvall (College of Charleston), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), A Yemisi Jimoh (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Tony Papanikolas (San Jose State University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1940

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

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Upon its 1940 publication, Richard Wright’s

Native Son

was quickly recognized as a landmark and turning point in black literature, a text that forcefully indicted American civilization and exposed unnerving truths about racism and systemic social oppression.

Born near Natchez, Mississippi in 1908, Wright triumphed over an educationally barren and impoverished upbringing by making himself an artist. His journey from sharecropper’s son to world famous novelist began in early childhood with an intuitive understanding of the power of language as a tool for defying authority and combating the restrictive forces of his environment. In 1927, at the age of 19, Wright left Mississippi for Chicago, joining thousands of Southern blacks fleeing racism and lynching to live more dignified lives in

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4152 words

Citation: Chura, Patrick. "Native Son". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 February 2018 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=3320, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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