hhhhhOne of the core
writers of the Harlem Renaissance, Countee Cullen was one of the most popular poets of the times. He had a conservative
literary philosophy, which brought him mixed reviews sometimes, but many, especially W.E.B. DuBois, liked his writings.
Cullen's first book, Color, was produced in 1925 to wide acclaim.
gggggA contributer to Thurman's magazine Fire!!,
Cullen enjoyed the literary freedom often encouraged during the Negro Renaissance, but he saw the purpose of "instructing"
the white literary audience and was willing to temper his expression accordingly. This led to his popularity with
publishers and magazines. Cullen placed 2nd in the Witter Bryner Undergraduate Poetry Prize contest, and he subsequently
was published in Idella Purnell's Palms: A Magazine of Poetry, an influential avante garde magazine. He
had strong support from Harper Publishing for books of his poetry. Harper even arranged a lecture tour for Cullen.
gggggBooks by Countee Cullen include Copper Sun, Ballad of the Brown Girl, Caroling Dusk (all published in 1927), The Black Christ, and Other Poems (1929), the novel One Way to Heaven (1932) and The Medea and Some Poems (1935).