Wright, Richard

"Native Son" was called by Ralph Ellison "the first philosophical novel by an American Negro." Wright published his first story at age 15. H.L. Mencken's writing inspired Wright. Winning a writing prize launched Wright into the literary world. (12 minutes)

This program presents a biography of Richard Wright, author of Black Boy and Native Son, taking viewers from his impoverished childhood to his involvement in Chicago’s Black Renaissance, the Communist Party, and the witch-hunts of the McCarthy era, to his exile and death in Paris. Underwritten by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the film skillfully intercuts dramatic excerpts from Wright’s work with historical footage and the recollections of friends, associates, and luminaries that include Ralph Ellison, Margaret Walker, and Wright’s daughter, Julia. (86 minutes)