Dorothy West, The Richer, the Poorer: Stories, Sketches, and Reminiscences

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Dorothy West was propelled into the world of literature as a schoolgirl in 1926 when her story “The Typewriter” took second prize in the

Opportunity

 magazine competition and subsequently was published in the July 1926 edition. This story, along with sixteen others, was re-printed in West's collection 

The Richer, the Poorer

, published in 1995 during the revival of interest in the literary career of the only remaining writer of the New Negro/Harlem Renaissance era of the 1920s.

Dorothy West's characteristic irony is evident in her first important story: in “The Typewriter” a janitor helps his daughter practice her typing by dictating fictional letters. The janitor feels important and successful during these contrived business sessions, so he creates a fictional persona and begins to

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Citation: Jimoh, A Yemisi. "The Richer, the Poorer: Stories, Sketches, and Reminiscences". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 January 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7586, accessed 19 March 2024.]

7586 The Richer, the Poorer: Stories, Sketches, and Reminiscences 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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