Paul Robeson: A Life of Activism and Art is the biography of an African American icon and a demonstration of historian Lindsey R. Swindall's knack for thorough; detailed research and reflection. Paul Robeson was; at points in his life; an actor; singer; football player; political activist and writer; one of the most diversely talented members of the Harlem Renaissance. Swindall centers Robeson's story around the argument that while Robeson leaned toward Socialism; a Pan-African perspective is fundamental to understanding his life as an artist and political advocate. Many previous works on Robeson have focused primarily on his involvement with the US Communist Party; paying little attention to the broader African influences on his politics and art. With each chapter focused on a decade of his life; this book affords us a fresh look at his story; and the ways in which the struggles; successes and studies of his formative years came to shape him as an artist; activist and man later on. Robeson’s story is one not simply of politics and protest; but of a man’s lifelong evolution from an athlete to an entertainer to an indispensible man of letters and African American thought. Swindall neatly outlines the events of Robeson's life in a way that freshly presents him as a man whose work was influenced by more than just his circumstances; but by a spirit rooted in dedication to the African's place in American art and politics.
#9320296 in Books 2012-06-11Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.26 x 6.00l; 1.64 #File Name: 1440037779556 pages
Review
