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American Hunger

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description American Hunger Overview

American Hunger is a memoir by American author Richard Wright, published posthumously in 1977. The text recounts Wright's life in Chicago after his departure from the Jim Crow South, including his encounters with poverty, literary communities, and the Communist Party. It was originally conceived as the second portion of the larger autobiographical work whose first section became Black Boy, and later editions have reunited the two parts under that title.

help American Hunger FAQ

Is American Hunger the same book as Black Boy?

American Hunger is the full, original manuscript of what was published in 1945 in truncated form as Black Boy. The 1945 edition cut significant portions, particularly those dealing with Wright's experiences in Chicago and his involvement with the Communist Party, and American Hunger restores that complete text.

When was American Hunger first published?

American Hunger was published posthumously in 1977, nearly two decades after Wright's death in 1960. The full text restored sections that Harper & Brothers had removed from the 1945 edition of Black Boy due to concerns about their political and racial content.

What does Richard Wright write about the Communist Party in American Hunger?

Wright details his involvement with the Communist Party in Chicago, including his work within literary circles connected to the Party and his eventual disillusionment with its authoritarian demands for ideological conformity. These passages were among the material cut from the 1945 publication of Black Boy and only became available with the 1977 release.

Why wasn't the full text published during Wright's lifetime?

The Book-of-the-Month Club selection of Black Boy in 1945 was contingent on cutting the second half, which covered Wright's Chicago years and Communist Party experiences. Wright reluctantly agreed to the edits, and the complete manuscript only surfaced in full with the 1977 posthumous publication.

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