Cullen, Countée

Cullen, Countée
Cul·len (kŭlʹən), Countée. 1903-1946.
American poet whose collections Colors (1926) and Copper Sun (1927) established him as a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance.

* * *

orig. Countee Porter

born May 30, 1903, Louisville, Ky.?, U.S.
died Jan. 9, 1946, New York, N.Y.

U.S. poet of the Harlem Renaissance.

Reared in New York City, he was unofficially adopted at age 15 by a minister. He won a citywide poetry contest and later attended New York and Harvard universities, winning academic honours. His first collection of poems, Color (1925), received critical acclaim while he was still in college. Copper Sun (1927) was criticized in the black community for not giving enough attention to the issue of race. He taught in the city's public schools from 1934 until his death.

* * *

▪ American poet
in full  Countee Porter Cullen  
born May 30, 1903, Louisville, Kentucky?, U.S.
died January 9, 1946, New York, New York
 American poet, one of the finest of the Harlem Renaissance.

      Reared by a woman who was probably his paternal grandmother, Countee at age 15 was unofficially adopted by the Reverend F.A. Cullen, minister of Salem M.E. Church, one of Harlem's largest congregations. He won a citywide poetry contest as a schoolboy and saw his winning stanzas widely reprinted. At New York University (B.A., 1925) he won the Witter Bynner Poetry Prize and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Major American literary magazines accepted his poems regularly, and his first collection of poems, Color (1925), was published to critical acclaim before he had finished college.

      Cullen received an M.A. degree from Harvard University in 1926 and worked as an assistant editor for Opportunity magazine. In 1928, just before leaving the United States for France (where he would study on a Guggenheim Fellowship), Cullen married Yolande Du Bois, daughter of W.E.B. Du Bois (Du Bois, W.E.B.) (divorced 1930). After publication of The Black Christ and Other Poems (1929), Cullen's reputation as a poet waned. From 1934 until the end of his life he taught in New York City public schools. Most notable among his other works are Copper Sun (1927), The Ballad of the Brown Girl (1928), and The Medea and Some Poems (1935). His novel One Way to Heaven (1932) depicts life in Harlem.

      Cullen's use of racial themes in his verse was striking at the time, and his material is always fresh and sensitively treated. He drew some criticism, however, because he was heavily influenced by the Romanticism of John Keats (Keats, John) and preferred to use classical verse forms rather than rely on the rhythms and idioms of his black American heritage.

Additional Reading
Short, critical introductions to the poet's life and works include Houston A. Baker, Jr., A Many-colored Coat of Dreams (1974); and Alan R. Shucard, Countee Cullen (1984).

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cullen, Countee — orig. Countee Porter (30 may. 1903, ¿Louisville, Ky?, EE.UU.–9 ene. 1946, Nueva York, N.Y.). Poeta estadounidense. Criado en Nueva York, un clérigo lo adoptó informalmente cuando tenía 15 años. Ganó un concurso de poesía de la ciudad y más tarde… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Cullen, Countee —    см. Каллен, Каунти …   Писатели США. Краткие творческие биографии

  • Countee Cullen — Countee Cullen, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1941 Countee Cullen (May 30, 1903[1] – January 9, 1946) was an American poet who was popular during the Harlem Renaissance. Contents …   Wikipedia

  • Countee Cullen — (30 mai 1903–9 janvier 1946) était un poète afro américain, adopté par le révérend Frederick Ashbury Cullen. Il fut élevé dans le quartier de Harlem à New York et reçut une éducation méthodiste. Il fut diplômé de la New York University en 1923 et …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Cullen — /kul euhn/, n. Countee /kown tay , tee /, 1903 46, U.S. poet. * * * (as used in expressions) Bryant William Cullen Cullen Countee Cullen William * * * …   Universalium

  • Cullen — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Cullen est un patronyme d’origine écossaise producteur de diverses homonymies : Sommaire 1 XIXe siècle 2 XXe siècle …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Cullen — (as used in expressions) Bryant, William Cullen Cullen, Countee Cullen, William …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Countee Cullen — Countee Cullen, fotografiert von Carl van Vechten, 1941 Countée LeRoy Porter (Countée Cullen), z. T. auch ohne Akzent geschrieben, (* 30. Mai 1903; † 9. Januar 1946 in New York City) war ein US amerikanischer Autor und führender Dichter der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Countee Cullen — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Countee Cullen, fotografiado por Carl Van Vechten, 1941 Countee Cullen (¿Louisville?, Estados Unidos; 30 de marzo de 1903 Nueva York; 9 de enero de 1946) fue un …   Wikipedia Español

  • Cullen (disambiguation) — Cullen may refer to:*Cullen, the Royal Burgh of Cullen, a burgh in Moray, Scotland, on the North Sea coast, east of Elgin *Cullen College of Engineering, an academic college at the University of Houston *Cullen, Louisiana, USA *Cullen, Cork, a… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”