Book Review - The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes

I love this jazz.

Hughes is a classic poet that I'm pleased to have discovered. The poetry collected in The Weary Blues is accessible yet profound and captures an era long since past.

While I expected a black writer who lived through the racism of 20th Century America to pen outraged verse, Hughes shares just as much optimism and lust for life. Each poem has at least a splash of colour and a chime of music that lifted my spirit even through the sorry observations he made during his international travels.

I thrilled at the contemporary expressions Hughes employed and the gorgeous metaphors he created. These quick poems made me long to experience the wonderful nights he went into and the pleasures he was able to salvage from his hardship.

Suffice to say, I will be back to Hughes and seek out more of his verse. I recommend The Weary Blues to those curious about the Harlem Renaissance and whoever would benefit from a beautiful view of a merciless world.

Notable Poems

• Dream Variation – a vibrant poem about embracing the night like a brother after a day of toil.

• The South – the longest verse of the collection musing on Hughes’s difficult relationship with home.

• Mother to Son – a poem with a memorable vernacular and a wonderfully belligerent life lesson.