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Not Without Laughter

Not Without Laughter

(Pre-Order, Jan 6 2026)

Langston Hughes
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The award-winning first novel by the legendary Black American poet


When his award-winning first novel Not Without Laughter was first published in 1930, Langston Hughes was already a luminary of the Harlem Renaissance scene, best known for his groundbreaking poetry. Not Without Laughter, which he had begun drafting while studying at Lincoln University, established him as a gifted novelist as well as a beloved poet.

At the heart of the novel is Sandy Rogers, a young boy who grows into a young man over the course of the novel, surrounded by his family. His mother, Annjee, works as a housekeeper for a wealthy white family; his irresponsible father, Jimboy, plays the guitar and travels the country in search of employment; his strong-willed grandmother Hager clings to her faith; his Aunt Tempy marries a rich man in the hope of a better life; and his Aunt Harriet struggles to make it as a blues singer.

Hughes created a fictional family based on those he had known while growing up in Kansas, painting a vivid portrait of their joys and hardships. Not Without Laughter is a moving account of what it was like to grow up African-American in the racially divided society of rural Kansas in the early part of the twentieth century.

 

Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri, in 1902. After graduation from high school, he spent a year in Mexico with his father, then a year studying at Columbia University. His first poem published in a nationally known magazine was "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," which appeared in Crisis in 1921. In 1925, he was awarded the First Prize for Poetry from the magazine Opportunity for "The Weary Blues," which gave its title to his first book of poems, published in 1926. Hughes received his B.A. from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania in 1929. In 1943, he was awarded an honorary Litt.D. by his alma mater; during his lifetime, he was also awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship (1935), a Rosenwald Fellowship (1940), and an American Academy of Arts and Letters Grant (1947). From 1926 until his death in 1967, Hughes devoted his time to writing and lecturing. He wrote poetry, short stories, autobiography, song lyrics, essays, humor, and plays. A cross section of his work was published in 1958 as The Langston Hughes Reader; a Selected Poems first appeared in 1959 and a Collected Poems in 1994. Today, his many works and his contribution to American letters continue to be cherished and celebrated around the world.

 

  • Publisher: Vintage
  • Publishing Date: January 6, 2026
  • Pages: 256 page
  • Language: English
  • Type: Paperback
  • ISBN-13: 9798217007554
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 8.0 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: .6 pounds
  • BISAC Categories: American - African American Subjects & Themes - Death, Grief, Loss Subjects & Themes - Places, Poetry - American, Poetry - African American & Black
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