And Bid Him Sing: A Biography of Countée Cullen

While competing with Langston Hughes for the title of “Poet Laureate of Harlem,” Countée Cullen (1903-46) crafted poems that became touchstones for American readers, both black and white. Inspired by classic themes and working within traditional forms, Cullen shaped his poetry to address universal questions like love, death, longing, and loss while also dealing with the issues of race and idealism that permeated the national conversation. Drawing on the poet’s unpublished correspondence wit...