The Messenger Reader: Stories, Poetry, and Essays from the Messenger Magazine

The Messenger was the third most popular magazine of the Harlem Renaissance after The Crisis and Opportunity. Unlike the other two magazines, The Messenger was not tied to a civil rights organization. Labor activist A. Philip Randolph and economist Chandler Owen started the magazine in 1917 to advance the cause of socialism to the black masses. They believed that a socialist society was the only one that would be free from racism.

The socialist ideology of The Messenger "the only magazine of scientific radicalism in the world published by Negroes," was reflected in the pieces and authors published in its pages. The Messenger Reader contains poetry, stories, and essays from Paul Robeson, Zora Neale Hurston, Wallace Thurman, and Dorothy West.

The Messenger Reader, will be a welcome addition to the critically acclaimed Modern Library Harlem Renaissance series.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Modern Library
Published: 02/08/2000
ISBN: 9780375755392
Pages: 448
Weight: 1.26lbs
Size: 8.42h x 5.60w x 1.08d

Review Citations: Booklist 12/15/1999 pg. 768
Publishers Weekly 01/17/2000 pg. 53
Kirkus Reviews 01/15/2000 pg. 110
Library Journal 02/01/2000 pg. 86
Booklist 02/15/2000 pg. 1073
Black Issues Book Review 07/01/2000 pg. 61