The Harlem Group of Negro Writers, By Melvin B. Tolson

Presents the annotated edition of Tolson’s 1940 MA thesis, the first academic study of the Harlem Renaissance written by an African American scholar. Melvin B. Tolson (1898-1966) was both a participant in and historian of the Harlem Renaissance, probably the most significant movement in African American literature and culture. Known mostly for his poetry, and an unduly neglected figure in American literary history, Tolson was one of the first African American critics of the Harlem Renaissance. This book is an edition of his 1940 MA thesis, the first academic study of the Harlem Renaissance written by an African American scholar.