Himes, Chester

Himes, Chester

▪ American writer
in full  Chester Bomar Himes  
born July 29, 1909, Jefferson City, Mo., U.S.
died Nov. 12, 1984, Moraira, Spain

      African-American writer whose novels reflect his encounters with racism. As an expatriate in Paris, he published a series of black detective (detective story) novels.

      The domination of his dark-skinned father by his light-skinned mother was a source of deep resentment that shaped Himes's racial outlook. The family's frequent relocations, as well as the accidental blinding of his brother, further disrupted his childhood. Himes attended Ohio State University. From 1929 to 1936 he was jailed at the Ohio State Penitentiary for armed robbery, and while there he began to write fiction. A number of his stories appeared in Esquire and other American magazines. After his release from prison, he worked at numerous odd jobs and joined the Works Progress Administration, eventually serving as a writer with the Ohio Writers' Project.

      His first novel, If He Hollers Let Him Go (1945), details the fear, anger, and humiliation of a black employee of a racist defense plant during World War II. Lonely Crusade (1947) concerns racism in the labour movement. Cast the First Stone (1952) portrays prison life, and The Third Generation (1954) examines family life.

      In the mid-1950s Himes moved to Paris. There he wrote chiefly murder mysteries set in New York City's Harlem. These include The Crazy Kill (1959), Cotton Comes to Harlem (1965; film, 1970), and Blind Man with a Pistol (1969; later retitled Hot Day, Hot Night). Among his other works are Run Man, Run (1966), a thriller; Pinktoes (1961), a satirical work of interracial erotica; and Black on Black (1973), a collection of stories. He also published two volumes of autobiography, The Quality of Hurt (1972) and My Life As Absurdity (1976).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Chester Himes — Born Chester Bomar Himes July 29, 1909(1909 07 29) Jefferson City, Missouri, U.S. Died November 13, 1984(1984 11 13) (aged 75) Moraira, Spain Pen name Chester Himes …   Wikipedia

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  • Chester Himes — Chester Bomar Himes (* 29. Juli 1909 in Jefferson City Missouri (USA); † 13. November 1984 in Moraira (Spanien)) war ein afro amerikanischer Schriftsteller. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 1.1 1909 1928 1.2 1929 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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  • Chester (disambiguation) — Chester is a city and is also the county town of Cheshire, England. The name comes from Old English ceastre, city, ultimately from Latin castra, camp. Chester may also mean the following places: Contents 1 Places 1.1 Canada …   Wikipedia

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