Not Without Laughter
Jan 2026 · Vintage
Ebook
256
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About this ebook
The award-winning first novel by the legendary Black American poet
When his award-winning first novel Not Without Laughter was first published in 1930, Langston Hughes was already a luminary of the Harlem Renaissance scene, best known for his groundbreaking poetry. Not Without Laughter, which he had begun drafting while studying at Lincoln University, established him as a gifted novelist as well as a beloved poet.
At the heart of the novel is Sandy Rogers, a young boy who grows into a young man over the course of the novel, surrounded by his family. His mother, Annjee, works as a housekeeper for a wealthy white family; his irresponsible father, Jimboy, plays the guitar and travels the country in search of employment; his strong-willed grandmother Hager clings to her faith; his Aunt Tempy marries a rich man in the hope of a better life; and his Aunt Harriet struggles to make it as a blues singer.
Hughes created a fictional family based on those he had known while growing up in Kansas, painting a vivid portrait of their joys and hardships. Not Without Laughter is a moving account of what it was like to grow up African-American in the racially divided society of rural Kansas in the early part of the twentieth century.
When his award-winning first novel Not Without Laughter was first published in 1930, Langston Hughes was already a luminary of the Harlem Renaissance scene, best known for his groundbreaking poetry. Not Without Laughter, which he had begun drafting while studying at Lincoln University, established him as a gifted novelist as well as a beloved poet.
At the heart of the novel is Sandy Rogers, a young boy who grows into a young man over the course of the novel, surrounded by his family. His mother, Annjee, works as a housekeeper for a wealthy white family; his irresponsible father, Jimboy, plays the guitar and travels the country in search of employment; his strong-willed grandmother Hager clings to her faith; his Aunt Tempy marries a rich man in the hope of a better life; and his Aunt Harriet struggles to make it as a blues singer.
Hughes created a fictional family based on those he had known while growing up in Kansas, painting a vivid portrait of their joys and hardships. Not Without Laughter is a moving account of what it was like to grow up African-American in the racially divided society of rural Kansas in the early part of the twentieth century.
About the author
Langston Hughes (1902-1967), one of the great poets of the Harlem Renaissance, was born in Joplin, Missouri, and spent much of his childhood in Kansas before moving to Harlem. He wrote poetry, short stories, novels, an autobiography, songs, essays, and plays. Among his numerous awards and honors were a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1935, a Rosenwald Fellowship in 1940, and an American Academy of Arts and Letters Grant in 1947.
Bryan Washington is the author of Palaver, Family Meal, Memorial, and Lot. He’s also a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 winner, a New York Public Library Young Lions Award recipient, an Ernest J. Gaines Award recipient, an International Dylan Thomas Prize recipient, a two-time Lambda Literary Award recipient, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Fiction award, the James Tait Black Prize, the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, a PEN/Robert W. Bingham prize finalist, a National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize finalist, the Goodreads Choice Awards, and the recipient of an O. Henry Award, and was named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30. The New York Times referred to his writing as among the 25 Most Influential Works of Postwar Queer Literature, and he was a columnist for the New York Times Magazine.
Bryan Washington is the author of Palaver, Family Meal, Memorial, and Lot. He’s also a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 winner, a New York Public Library Young Lions Award recipient, an Ernest J. Gaines Award recipient, an International Dylan Thomas Prize recipient, a two-time Lambda Literary Award recipient, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Fiction award, the James Tait Black Prize, the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, a PEN/Robert W. Bingham prize finalist, a National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize finalist, the Goodreads Choice Awards, and the recipient of an O. Henry Award, and was named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30. The New York Times referred to his writing as among the 25 Most Influential Works of Postwar Queer Literature, and he was a columnist for the New York Times Magazine.
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