Cullen, Countee (1903–1946)

US poet. He was one of the leading contributors to the Harlem Renaissance. His particular style – as seen in such works as ‘Color’ (1925) and ‘Copper Sun’ (1927) – was more derived from European traditions than from black American idioms and has not survived his era.

He was born in New York City. Raised by foster parents, he studied at New York University (BA 1925) and Harvard (MA 1926). He achieved some recognition for his poetry while still a student. Awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in 1928, he spent most of the next six years in Paris. On returning to New York City he taught at a junior high school (1934–46); he also edited a magazine, Opportunity. In addition to his poetry, he wrote a novel, One Way to Heaven (1932), and stories for children. Other poetry collections include The Ballad of the Brown Girl (1928), The Black Christ and Other Poems (1929), and The Medea and Some Poems (1935).