Amiri Baraka, LeRoi Jones (b. 1934)

A selective list of online literary criticism for African American poet and playwright Amiri Baraka, favoring signed scholarly articles and articles from peer-reviewed sources

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introduction & literary criticism

An introduction to Amiri Baraka plus excerpts of reputable critical discussions of some poems, from the Modern American Poetry Site (Univ. of Illinois)

An extended, introductory article on Amiri Baraka's career, includes list of works and a secondary reading list, from the Poetry Foundation

An introduction to Amiri Baraka from the Academy of American Poets

A Brief Guide to the Black Arts Movement, at the Academy of American Poets

Issues and questions for teachers and readers of Amiri Baraka's poetry, from Heath guides

The official Amiri Baraka web site has published recent works and photos

Creeley, Robert. Noted poet reviews Transbluesency: The Selected Poems of Amiri Baraka/LeRoi Jones. Ed. Paul Vangelisti. Boston Review December 1996/ January 1997.

Prevallet, Kristin. "The Exquisite Extremes of Poetry (Watten and Baraka on the Brink)." "Watten cites several examples from the cultural, literary, and political history of the 1960s in order to establish what he calls the 'cultural poetics' that gave way to language poetry. Baraka had aggressively disagreed with Watten’s contextualizing of the 1960s, and ultimately sought to set the record straight and assert his own conception of radical politics." Jacket Magazine 12 (2000)

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1998-2010 by Jan Pridmore