Langston Hughes is often referred to as of one of the most important originators and exponents of African American literature. Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri, on 1st February, 1902. After his father deserted the family Langston was brought up by his grandmother. At an early age he was introduced to the writings of William Du Bois. Du Bois was a well–known political activist in America in the early Twentieth Century and has been called the "father of Pan-Africanism" (W.E.B.Du BIOS is the father of pan-africanism who was his mentor). Hughes imbibed many of his critical views about racism and injustice in society from this figure.
             His interest in poetry was inculcated and influenced by the work of Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman. In 1921 his poem, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, was published in Crisis, the journal of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP). (Spartacus International) He subsequently produced two volumes of poetry; The Weary Blues (1926) and Fine Clothes to the Jew (1927). Hughes later published several volumes of poetry including: Shakespeare in Harlem (1942), Fields of Wonder (1947), Montage of a Dream Deferred (1951) and Ask Your Mama (1961). He also published two autobiographies: The Big Sea (1940) and I Wonder as I Wander (1956). He died on 22nd May, 1967. ( Spartacus International)
             Hughes was a central figure in the development and success of the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem renaissance refers to a period the 1920s and 1930s when there was a " flowering" or development of Black American literature and Black consciousness that was centered on the increase in self-identity and Negro cultural pride in the United States. (Harlem Renaissance) The idea of one's cultural roots was a dominant aspect in the search for identify and meaning in the Harlem Renaissance and was to form a central theme and focus in the writings of Hughes.
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