Fine Clothes to the Jew
| Author | Langston Hughes |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Poetry |
| Published | 1927 |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
Fine Clothes to the Jew is a 1927 poetry collection by Langston Hughes published by Alfred A. Knopf. Because it departed from sentimental depictions of African-American culture, the collection was widely criticized, especially in the Black press, when it was published.[1]
Publication and response
The title appears in the poem "Hard Luck" in the book's first section.[2] It refers to a phrase popular in Harlem at the time, referring to citizens who would pawn fine clothes to predominately Jewish-owned pawn shops when they were short on money .[3]
The collection was Hughes' least successful in terms of both sales and critical reception.[4] However, his first work The Weary Blues and this collection made his reputation.[5] Biographer Arnold Rampersad called it Hughes' "most brilliant book of poems."[6]
References
- ↑ Rummel, Jack; Wagner, Heather Lehr (2005) Langston Hughes: Poet, p. 52. Infobase Publishing, ISBN 978-0-7910-8250-8
- ↑ Bercovitch, Sacvan (2003). The Cambridge History of American Literature: Poetry and criticism, 1900-1950, p. 323. Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-30109-1
- ↑ Nazel, Joe (2008). Langston Hughes, p. 140, Holloway House Publishing, ISBN 978-0-87067-937-7
- ↑ Rampersad, Arnold (1986). Langston Hughes's Fine Clothes to the Jew. Callaloo, No. 26, Winter, 1986
- ↑ Stewart, Jeffrey C (July 3, 1983). Uptown: the bard of urban. Los Angeles Times
- ↑ Rampersad, Arnold (2002). The Life of Langston Hughes: Volume I: 1902-1941, I, Too, Sing America. Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-514642-4