Blues in Stereo, Langston Hughes
Blues in Stereo, Langston Hughes
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Blues in Stereo
The Early Works of Langston Hughes

Author: Langston Hughes, Danez Smith

Narrator: Danez Smith

Unabridged: 1 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Legacy Lit

Published: 11/19/2024


Synopsis

Publishers Weekly’s Top Ten Fall 2024 Poetry Books

From Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes, a stunning collection of early works written from 1921-1927 and curated by award winning poet and National Book Award finalist, Danez Smith. Before Langston Hughes and his literary prowess became synonymous with American poetry, he was a seventeen-year-old on a train to Mexico City, seeking funds to pursue his passion. His early poems, beloved verses like “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” were written without formal training, often on the back of napkins and envelopes, and were inspired by the sights and sounds of Black working-class people he encountered in his early life.  Blues in Stereo is a posthumous collection of these early works, in which we see Langston Hughes like we’ve never seen him before. In the intimate pages of his handwritten journals,you will travel with Hughes outside of Harlem as he ventures to the American South and Mexico, sails through the Caribbean, and becomes the only Harlem renaissance poet to visit Africa. He celebrates love as a tool of liberation in his poems and journal entries. His songs included showcase musicality of verse poetry. And the book even includes a play he co-wrote with Duke Ellington with a full score that experiments with rhythm and structure. Blues in Stereo portrays a young man coming of age in a changing world. Page by page, a young, fresh-faced Hughes contends with matters beyond his years with raw talent. National Book Award nominated poet Danez Smith offers their insight and notes on themes, challenges, and obsessions that Hughes early work contains. Blues in Stereo foreshadows a master poet that will go on to define literature for centuries to come.  

Author Bio

The great poet of the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes (1902-67) was equally adept at writing novels, plays, essays, song lyrics, and newspaper columns. In every genre, he created stirring expressions of life's struggles and joys.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Sonja

This is a wonderful collection of poetry by one of my favorite writers--Langston Hughes. Curated and introduced by poet Danez Smith, it includes poetry written between 1921 and 1927 (written in his late teens and early 20s) as well as uncollected poems and drafts and musical projects (of the 20s and......more

Goodreads review by Steve

First off, my thanks to NetGalley and Legacy Lit-Hatchette for an e-ARC of this title. Available November 19, 2024. A collection of early Hughes poetry (less than 150 pp long, with lots of blank pages), from his late teens to early 20's (1921-1927). Much of it (all?) has not been published in book f......more

Goodreads review by Kaytee

What a beautiful collection of poems. I am so glad I was gifted this book of the early works of Langston Hughes. If I am honest, my knowledge was limited to who he was in our time but I do remember learning about the Harlem Renaissance and how influential he was to this cultural movement. This colle......more

Blues in Stereo, curated by Danez Smith, showcases Langston Hughes's early artistic endeavors in a non-linear fashion. By incorporating poetry, journal entries, and a notable collaboration with Duke Ellington, this anthology illuminates Hughes's growth as a poet. Smith's perceptive commentary and th......more