Hughes, (James) Langston (1902-1967)

US poet, novelist, and playwright. A leading black writer of his time, he published several collections of poetry, including The Weary Blues (1926); the novel Not Without Laughter (1930); and plays, including Mulatto (1935).

Other works include a study of music for children, The First Book of Jazz (1955); and folklore, The Book of Negro Folklore (1958).

Hughes often commented on the realities of black life through the figure of Jess B Simple, originally created for a newspaper column but also the hero of a series of books.