Paul Laurence Dunbar
(1872–1906)

The first African American to support himself entirely by writing, Paul Laurence Dunbar displayed great versatility as a writer throughout his short career. Dunbar wrote poems, both in a formal, elegant style and in African American dialect, and he wrote several novels and numerous short stories.

Dunbar was born in Dayton, Ohio, the son of former slaves. Encouraged by his mother, he began writing poetry at an early age. During high school, Dunbar, who was the only African American student in his class, frequently recited his poetry before school assemblies. He also served as the president of the literary society, class poet, and editor of the school newspaper.

Following his graduation, he supported himself by working as an elevator operator while continuing to write. He first earned recognition among writers and critics in 1892, when he gave a poetry reading during a meeting of the Western Association of Writers. A year later, he published his first collection of poetry, Oak and Ivy. In 1895 he published a second collection, Majors and Minors, which was received by critics with great enthusiasm. In fact, William Dean Howells, wrote an introduction for Dunbar's next collection, Lyrics of a Lowly Life (1896), which sold over 12,000 copies and established Dunbar as one of the most widely read and admired American poets of the time.

Dunbar went on to write three more volumes of poetry, four novels, and four volumes of short stories, and he gave readings throughout the United States and Europe. Unfortunately, however, his life was cut short by tuberculosis in 1906.

Despite his success as a poet, Dunbar was disillusioned by the critics' tendency to focus on his poetry written in black dialect, while virtually ignoring his more formal verse. In poems such as "Douglass" and "We Wear the Mask," Dunbar demonstrates a command of the English language that was often overlooked, capturing the despair of black people in a dignified and graceful manner.

A  |  B  |  C  |  D  |  E  |  F  |  G  |  H  |  I  |  J  |  K  |  L  |  M
N  |  O  |  P  |  Q  |  R  |  S  |  T  |  U  |  V  |  W  |  X  |  Y  |  Z