Our greatest African American poet's award-winning first novel, about
a black boy's coming-of-age in a largely white Kansas town
When first published in 1930, Not Without Laughter established
Langston Hughes as not only a brilliant poet and leading light of the
Harlem Renaissance but also a gifted novelist. In telling the story of
Sandy Rogers, a young African American boy in small-town Kansas, and of
his family--his mother, Annjee, a housekeeper for a wealthy white
family; his irresponsible father, Jimboy, who plays the guitar and
travels the country in search of employment; his strong-willed
grandmother Hager, who clings to her faith; his Aunt Tempy, who marries
a rich man; and his Aunt Harriet, who struggles to make it as a blues
singer--Hughes gives the longings and lineaments of black life in the
early twentieth century an important place in the history of racially
divided America.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of
classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,800
titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works
throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the
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notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as
up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
