Bøker av Paul Laurence Dunbar

The Uncalled (1898) is a novel by African American author Paul Laurence Dunbar. Published while Dunbar was at the height of his career as one of the nation¿s leading black poets, The Uncalled marked his debut as a novelist with a powerful vision of faith and perseverance who sought to capture and examine the diversity of the African American experience. When his mother dies, Freddie Brent¿whose father is presumed dead¿is officially orphaned. Although some members of the church community think it best to send him to the local orphanage, Miss Hester, an unmarried older woman, declares it her duty to provide for the boy. Having never raised a child before, however, she struggles to ascertain and fulfill Freddie¿s needs, focusing instead on her perception of his troubled upbringing and punishing the boy for his parents¿ supposed sinfulness. Freddie looks forward to visits from Eliphalet Hodges, Miss Hester¿s longtime suitor, who acts as a father figure and shows him kindness and respect. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Paul Laurence Dunbar¿s The Uncalled is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow (1905) is a collection of poems by African American author Paul Laurence Dunbar. Published while Dunbar was suffering from tuberculosis, alcoholism, and depression, Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow builds on his reputation as an artist with a powerful vision of faith and perseverance who sought to capture and examine the diversity of the African American experience. In "The Place Where the Rainbow Ends," Dunbar, perhaps reflecting on his proximity to death, provides a simple song with a cautionary, utopian vision of hope and happiness: "Oh, many have sought it, / And all would have bought it, / With the blood we so recklessly spend; / But none has uncovered, / The gold, nor discovered / The spot at the rainbow's end." Meditative and bittersweet, Dunbar rejects wealth and power as a means of achieving fulfillment, looking instead to establish an inner peace for himself that he might "find without motion, / The place where the rainbow ends," a place "[w]here care shall be quiet, / And love shall run riot, / And [he] shall find wealth in [his] friends." Whether a vision of heaven or of the possibility of peace on earth, this poem finds echoes across Dunbar's penultimate volume. Nearing death at such a young age, he prepares himself to lose the life he had fought so hard to achieve, a life devoted to reaching the hearts and minds of others. As we all must, he ends on a question, opening himself to the unknown without losing hope for the possibility of peace and reunion to come: "Where shall we meet, who knows, who knows?" In the reader, his song carries on. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Paul Laurence Dunbar's Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet during the start of the 20th century. Born to ex-slave parents, Dunbar began writing at a very early age and had published his first poems by the age of 16 in a local newspaper. Much of his work was written in the "African-American Vernacular" associated with the antebellum South, although he also employed conventional English in his novels and poems. Dunbar was among the first African-American writers to garner international acclaim for their work. This volume contains a collection of Dunbar's best short stories, originally published in three books. "Folks from Dixie" (1898) comprises 12 stories and was Dunbar's first collection, as well as the first volume of short stories ever published in the United States by an African American. "The Strength of Gideon and Other Stories" (1899) was Dunbar's second collection, including 20 short stories. Originally published in 1904, "The Heart of Happy Hollow" contains sixteen short stories that explore African American life post-Civil War. A fantastic collection of powerful tales that offer a unique glimpse into the lives of African Americans at the turn of the century. Other notable works by this author include: "Oak and Ivy" (1892), "Majors and Minors" (1896), and "Lyrics of Lowly Life" (1896). Read & Co. Classics is proudly publishing this brand new collection of classic short stories now complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author and original illustrations by E. W. Kemble.

Berry lives with his wife, Fannie, and two children, Joe and Kitty. During a farewell dinner for Maurice''s younger brother, Francis Oakley, it becomes known that a large sum of money has disappeared from Oakley residence due to Francis apparently being careless and leaving the key in the safe. Maurice soon convinces himself that Berry must have stolen the money. A court finds Berry guilty of the theft and sentences him to ten years of hard labor. Maurice and his wife expel Fannie, Joe, and Kitty from the cottage. Unable to find work, Fannie and her children decide to move to New York. Once in New York, Joe begins work and starts regularly visiting the Banner Club. He begins dating an entertainer from the club named Hattie Sterling. To Fannie''s disapproval, Hattie helps Kitty to find employment as a singer and actress. Joe''s situation quickly declines and he becomes an alcoholic. Hattie breaks the relationship. Completely degraded, Joe strangles Hattie. Later, he confesses to the murder and finds himself in prison. With her husband and son in prison, Fannie is distraught. Kitty convinces Fannie to marry a man named Mr. Gibson.

When he died at just thirty-three years of age, Paul Laurence Dunbar had achieved more than any African American poet before him. Alice Dunbar Nelson, his wife, carried on his legacy through her poems, plays, and fierce commitment to social justice. Mr. and Mrs. Dunbar: Poems, Plays and Prose is a portrait of a couple, their talent, and their legacy.

The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar is a comprehensive selection of the iconic writer's beloved poetry that features his unique rhythm and famous dialect. His work is a beautiful and critical examination of the human spirit.Paul Laurence Dunbar produced an impressive volume of work during his short lifetime. Prior to his passing, at age 33, he published multiple collections of poetry including Majors and Minors in 1895 and Lyrics of Lowly Life in 1896. Dunbar uses his poetry to address multiple themes such as love, loss, family, marriage and work. His signature prose and melodic turn of phrase permeates the heart and mind, leaving an indelible mark.The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar is required reading for poetry scholars. It helps exemplify Dunbar's influence in America and abroad. He was a prolific artist who set a precedent for many twentieth century poets, including Dr. Maya Angelou.With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar is both modern and readable.

The Sport of the Gods (1902) is a novel by African American author Paul Laurence Dunbar. Published while Dunbar was at the height of his career as one of the nation's leading black writers, The Sport of the Gods examines the lives of poor African Americans who, despite being freed from slavery, struggle to establish themselves in the cities of the North. Berry Hamilton, a black man freed from slavery following the American Civil War, has moved north with his wife and two children. In an unfamiliar city, he manages to find a job as a butler for the wealthy white Oakley family, and enjoys a short commute from a small cottage to his daily work at the Oakley residence. One day, during a dinner held on the eve of Francis Oakley's departure, the family discovers that money has disappeared from the household safe. Accused of the crime, Maurice is found guilty and imprisoned for a decade of hard labor, leaving his wife Fannie and their boy and girl to fend for themselves. Evicted from their cottage, Fannie moves to New York, where Joe, her son, finds work and begins to frequent a local club. There, he enters a turbulent relationship with Hattie Sterling, an entertainer, which soon threatens to shake the family's newfound stability. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Paul Laurence Dunbar's The Sport of the Gods is a classic of African American literature reimagined for modern readers.

Paul Laurence Dunbar, introduced to the American public by William Dean Howells, was the first native-born African American poet to achieve national and international fame. While there have been many valuable editions of his works over time, gaps have developed when manuscripts were lost or access to uncollected works became difficult. "In His Own Voice" brings together previously upublished and uncollected short stories, essays, and poems. This volume also establishes Dunbar's reputation as a dramatist who mastered standard English conventions and used dialect in musical comedy for ironic effects. "In His Own Voice" collects more than seventy-five works in six genres. Featured are the previously unpublished play Herrick and two one-act plays, largely ignored for a century, that demonstrate Dunbar's subversion of the minstrel tradition. This generous expansion of the canon also includes a short story never before published. Herbert Woodward Martin, renowned for his live portrayal of Dunbar, and Ronald Primeau provide a literary and historical context for this previously untreated material, firmly securing the reputation of an important American voice.

The son of former slaves, Paul Laurence Dunbar was one of the most prominent figures in American literature at the turn of the twentieth century.

Presents four Dunbar novels under one cover for the first time, allowing readers to assess why he was such a seminal influence on the twentieth century African American writers who followed him into the American canon.