About Richard Wright (author)
Richard Nathaniel Wright (1908–1960), also known as Nathan Paul, was an American author of novels, short stories, poems, and non-fiction. Much of his literature concerns racial themes, especially related to the plight of African Americans during the late 19th to mid 20th centuries suffering discrimination and violence. His best known works include the novella collection Uncle Tom's Children (1938), the novel Native Son (1940), and the memoir Black Boy (1945). Literary critics believe his work helped change race relations in the United States in the mid-20th century. At the age of 15, while in eighth grade, Wright published his first story, "The Voodoo of Hell's Half-Acre", in the local Black newspaper Southern Register. In 1933, Wright founded the South Side Writers Group, whose members included Arna Bontemps and Margaret Walker. Through the group and his membership in the John Reed Club, Wright founded and edited Left Front, a literary magazine.
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