He was born James Mercer Langston Hughes in Joplin, MO. Hughes was a poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. In his best-known poetry, Hughes wrote profoundly and optimistically about black people. The literary respect he earned probably influenced the metrical experiments of other African American poets and authors during the 1960s.
His best known books include Mother To Son, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, Weary Blues and Brotherly Love. In 1967 Hughes died after complications after abdominal surgery related to prostate cancer.
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