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Arnold Rampersad

アーノルド・ランパーサッド

Arnold Rampersad

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1941-11-13 （Trinidad and Tobago）
Nationality
Trinidad and Tobago, United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Trinidad and Tobago (birth) → Bowling Green, Ohio, USA (study/residence) → Massachusetts, USA (Harvard University) → New Jersey, USA (Rutgers/Princeton area) → New York, USA (Columbia University) → Stanford, California, USA (Stanford University, current)

Career

Occupations
biographer, literary critic, professor, editor
Active Years
1967-
Affiliations
Stanford University, Rutgers University, Columbia University, Princeton University, Bowling Green State University
Memberships
American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Philosophical Society

Education

Bowling Green State University
College of Arts and Sciences / Department of English
Degree: BA
Period: 1965–1967
Year of Graduation: 1967
Country: United States
Bachelor's degree
Bowling Green State University
College of Arts and Sciences / Department of English
Degree: MA
Period: 1967–1968
Year of Graduation: 1968
Country: United States
Master's degree
Harvard University
Graduate School / Department of English
Degree: PhD
Period: 1969–1973
Year of Graduation: 1973
Country: United States
Dissertation later published as an intellectual biography of W. E. B. Du Bois

Awards

MacArthur Fellowship
1991
Organization: MacArthur Foundation
Result: 受賞（フェロー）
MacArthur Fellowship (term)
1996
Organization: MacArthur Foundation
Result: 任期終了
National Humanities Medal
2010
Organization: National Endowment for the Humanities
Result: 受賞
BIO Award (Biographers International Organization)
2012
Organization: Biographers International Organization
Result: 受賞
Anisfield-Wolf Lifetime Achievement Award
2012
Organization: Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
Result: 受賞（生涯業績）
Pulitzer Prize for Biography
1989
Work: The Life of Langston Hughes, Vol. II
Organization: Pulitzer Prize
Result: 最終候補（ファイナリスト）
National Book Award for Nonfiction
2007
Work: Ralph Ellison: A Biography
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: 最終候補（ファイナリスト）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Art and Imagination of W. E. B. Du Bois

1976 biography/critical study

An intellectual biography and critical study of W. E. B. Du Bois, developed from Rampersad's doctoral dissertation.

African American literatureintellectual historyrace and culture

The Life of Langston Hughes, Vol. I

1986 biography

Detailed biography of Langston Hughes covering his early and middle years (volume one of a two-volume work).

Harlem RenaissanceBlack culturepublic life of poetry

The Life of Langston Hughes, Vol. II

1988 biography

Covers the later life and influence of Langston Hughes; the second volume was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Biography.

cultural legacypublic life and literature

Days of Grace: A Memoir

1993 memoir (co-authored)

Co-authored memoir with Arthur Ashe, chronicling Ashe's life and struggles, including his activism and illness.

sports and racepublic lifeillness and dignity

Jackie Robinson: A Biography

1997 biography

Biography of Jackie Robinson, examining his life and impact on race relations in the United States.

sports historycivil rightsAmerican culture

Ralph Ellison: A Biography

2007 biography

Comprehensive biography of Ralph Ellison; it was a finalist for the 2007 National Book Award for Nonfiction.

African American literatureindividual and societyliterature and politics

Bibliography

  • The Art and Imagination of W. E. B. Du Bois (1976)
  • The Life of Langston Hughes, Vol. I (1986)
  • The Life of Langston Hughes, Vol. II (1988)
  • Days of Grace: A Memoir (co-authored, 1993)
  • Jackie Robinson: A Biography (1997)
  • Ralph Ellison: A Biography (2007)
  • Collected Poems of Langston Hughes (editor)
  • Library of America edition of Richard Wright (editor)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
narrative and analytical biographical style grounded in extensive archival researchscholarly yet accessible prose for general readers
Recurring Motifs
intersection of race and culturehistorical context of African American intellectual and creative lifetension between private life and public persona

Legacy

Arnold Rampersad is a highly regarded biographer and scholar who has significantly contributed to the study of African American literature and culture. His definitive biographies of figures such as Langston Hughes and Ralph Ellison have earned him major honors and influence in the humanities.

Academic Societies

  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • American Philosophical Society

Trivia

  • Half-brother is labor leader Roger Toussaint.
  • Served as a MacArthur Fellow from 1991 to 1996.
  • The second volume of The Life of Langston Hughes was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Biography.
  • Ralph Ellison: A Biography was a finalist for the 2007 National Book Award for Nonfiction.