Arna Bontemps, American Author and Archivist
Arna Wendell Bontemps (October 13, 1902 - June 4, 1973) was an American poet, novelist and librarian. After graduation, he moved to New York to teach at the Harlem Academy and became active in what today is called the Harlem Renaissance. In the early 1930s, he began to publish fiction, in addition to more poetry. Bontemps was praised for his poetic style, his re-creation of the black language and his distinguishing characters. In 1936 Bontemps published what is considered as some of his best work, Black Thunder. He struggled to make enough from his books to support his family. However, more important, he gained little acknowledgement for his work despite being a prolific writer. Bontemps returned to graduate school and earned a master's degree in library science from the University of Chicago in 1943. Bontemps was appointed as head librarian at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. Through his librarianship and bibliographic work, Bontemps became a leading figure in establishing African-American literature as a legitimate object of study and preservation. His work as a poet, novelist, children’s writer, editor, librarian and historian helped shape modern African-American literature, but it also had a tremendous influence on African-American culture. He died in 1973, at the age of 70, from a myocardial infarction. Photographed by Carl Van Vechten, August 15, 1939.
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