An Anthology of Verse by American Negroes
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An Anthology of Verse by American Negroes is a 1924 poetry anthology compiled by Newman Ivey White and Walter Clinton Jackson. The anthology is considered one of the major anthologies of black poetry to be published during the Harlem Renaissance, and was republished in 1969. In reviews, the anthology has been positively received for the effort it made to compile poetry, but criticized for ambiguous criticism and poor selection of poems.
The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American life centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. A major aspect of this revival was poetry.[1] Hundreds of poems were written and published by African Americans during the era, which covered a wide variety of themes.[2] The Poetry Foundation wrote that poets in the Harlem Renaissance "explored the beauty and pain of black life and sought to define themselves and their community outside of white stereotypes."[1] Poets such as Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, and Countee Cullen became well known for their poetry, which was often inspired by jazz.[2]
The poetry of the era was published in several different ways, notably in the form of anthologies. The Book of American Negro Poetry (1922), Negro Poets and Their Poems (1923), An Anthology of Verse by American Negroes (1924), and Caroling Dusk (1927) have been cited as four major poetry anthologies of the Harlem Renaissance.[2]
Publication details
The work included an introduction as well as biographical information about the poets whose work was included. James Hardy Dillard wrote the introduction, and the 250 page first edition of the book was published in 1924 by Trinity University Press. It was edited by Newman Ivey White and Walter Clinton Jackson.[3] In 1969 Moore Publishing Company re-released the anthology along with Nine Black Poets, a collection of poems by nine prominent black poets that was edited by R. B. Shuman.[4]
The editors wrote in the preface that they were "Southern white men who desire the most cordial relations between the races" and that they hoped "this volume will help its white readers more clearly to understand the Negro's feelings on certain questions that must be settled by the cooperation of the two races." However, they clarified that the intention of the collection was not to patronize black authors, but to provide an "honest, unbiased appraisal."[5]
