Publisher's Synopsis
Drawing on journals, letters, and eyewitness accounts, Richard Wright probes the author's relationships with Langston Hughes and Ralph Ellison, his attraction to Communism, and his so-called exile in France. Skillfully interweaving quotes from Wright's own writings, Rowley deftly portrays a passionate, courageous, and flawed man who would become one of our most enduring literary figures.
"Splendid. . . . Richard Wright is well written, prodigiously researched, and nicely paced, a compelling evocation of the man, his craft, and the different worlds through which he moved."-Michael J. Ybarra, Wall Street Journal
"A welcome and illuminating work . . . [Rowley] does an outstanding job. . . . Rich and revealing."-Megan Harlan, San Francisco Chronicle
"A magnificent biography, subtle and insightful. . . . Rowley writes with style and grace, and her research on Wright is prodigious."-Howard Zinn, The Week