Yale's Beinecke Library Celebrates the Life of Langston Hughes

The work, life and spirit of poet and cultural icon Langston Hughes (1902-1967) are the subject of a major public exhibition at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University opening February 1, the 100th anniversary of Hughes’ birth.

Titled “My Soul Has Grown Deep like the Rivers: Langston Hughes at 100,” the exhibition features documents and memorabilia that are part of the Hughes papers held by the Beinecke. Donated to the Beinecke by Hughes himself, the papers are the largest and most complete collection of his original work.

Visitors to the Beinecke will be able to view photographs and hear recordings from the collection on video monitors located throughout the library. The exhibition, which opens on the first day of Black History Month, runs through April 20.

“We’re very excited about this opportunity to share our extensive Hughes collection with the public,” said the Director of the Beinecke Barbara Shailor. “We’re hoping the New Haven community especially will take advantage of this treasure from one of America’s great poets.”

The exhibition highlights the varied interests and relationships that occupied Hughes’ life and influenced his writing. It focuses on three aspects of Hughes’ career: his poetry, his work as an artist and his role as an observer of contemporary society. The photographs, letters, books and manuscripts will make visible Hughes’ accomplishments, as the lyricist of 800 songs, the writer of several plays and the advocate of political and social reform.

A pivotal figure of the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes drew on the language and culture of rural and working-class African-Americans, and particularly on jazz, for artistic expression. He was a vocal proponent of Black pride, urging his fellow artists to respect the unique cultural heritage they shared.

The documents displayed in the exhibition trace Hughes’ development as a crusader for civil rights and social justice, which won him the censure of Senator Joseph McCarthy, and highlight his collaboration with other acclaimed artists of his day, Duke Ellington, Kurt Weill, Charles Mingus and Zora Neale Hurston among them.

The Beinecke Library has previewed the Hughes exhibition for New Haven school teachers and librarians, and is conducting outreach to invite the community to use the exhibition to learn more about Hughes and his contributions.

In addition to the Hughes exhibition at the Beinecke Library, Yale’s Department of African-American Studies is hosting an international symposium on Hughes, February 21-23. With support from the Ford Foundation and the Kempf Memorial Fund at Yale, the symposium, “Langston Hughes and His World: A Centennial Celebration,” will gather scholars from Europe and across the nation to explore sides of Hughes’ personal life that reflect the larger world in which he worked.

To view the exhibition online, visit

highway49.library.yale.edu/langstonhughes

Information about the February symposium on Hughes is available at:

http://www.yale.edu/afamstudies/hughes_conference_details.html

The Beinecke Library, located at 121 Wall Street, is open for exhibition viewing Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays in February and April from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.