# 4386 - 2009 61c Richard Wright
Richard Wright
Issue Date: April 9, 2009
City: Chicago, IL
Birth Of Richard Wright
Wright’s grandparents had been born into slavery and were freed during the Civil War, with both of his grandfathers serving in the Union Army and Navy.
Wright’s father left the family when he was six years old and he spent several years of his childhood moving around with his mother and siblings. By the time he was 12, he hadn’t completed a full year of school.
Wright briefly attended high school but left to work to make money for his family. In 1927, the family moved to Chicago in search of a better life. Wright worked as a postal clerk until he was fired during the Depression. He wrote his first novel, Cesspool, in 1935, though it wouldn’t be published until after his death. While in Chicago, Wright joined the city’s Communist Party and contributed several “revolutionary” poems to The New Masses magazine of the party. Faced with racial discrimination even there, Wright later left the party.
After visiting Canada for a few months, Wright decided to move to Paris in 1946 and was made a French citizen the following year. He visited Europe, Africa, and Asia and used his travels as inspiration for his nonfiction works. He continued to write until his death on November 28, 1960. After his death, many of his unpublished works were released.
Richard Wright
Issue Date: April 9, 2009
City: Chicago, IL
Birth Of Richard Wright
Wright’s grandparents had been born into slavery and were freed during the Civil War, with both of his grandfathers serving in the Union Army and Navy.
Wright’s father left the family when he was six years old and he spent several years of his childhood moving around with his mother and siblings. By the time he was 12, he hadn’t completed a full year of school.
Wright briefly attended high school but left to work to make money for his family. In 1927, the family moved to Chicago in search of a better life. Wright worked as a postal clerk until he was fired during the Depression. He wrote his first novel, Cesspool, in 1935, though it wouldn’t be published until after his death. While in Chicago, Wright joined the city’s Communist Party and contributed several “revolutionary” poems to The New Masses magazine of the party. Faced with racial discrimination even there, Wright later left the party.
After visiting Canada for a few months, Wright decided to move to Paris in 1946 and was made a French citizen the following year. He visited Europe, Africa, and Asia and used his travels as inspiration for his nonfiction works. He continued to write until his death on November 28, 1960. After his death, many of his unpublished works were released.