Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 31 (1966) Winner
Claude Brown
クロード・ブラウン
Kurodo Buraun
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1937-02-23 （New York City, New York, United States）
- Died
- 2002-02-02 （New York City, New York, United States） age 64
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Harlem, New York → Greenwich Village, New York → South Carolina (grandparents' home)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer
- Active Years
- 1950-2002
- Influenced By
- E. Franklin Frazier, Nathan Hare, Ernest Papanek (psychologist, director at Wiltwyck School for Boys)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard University | — | — | — | 1961-1965 | United States |
| Stanford Law School | — | — | — | — | United States |
| Rutgers Law School | — | — | — | — | United States |
Howard University
Period:
1961-1965
Year of Graduation:
1965
Country:
United States
Studied at Howard University; influenced by sociology professors such as E. Franklin Frazier and Nathan Hare.
Stanford Law School
Country:
United States
Attended but left as lecture and writing opportunities proved more lucrative.
Rutgers Law School
Country:
United States
Attended but did not complete degree.
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Manchild in the Promised Land
1965 Autobiography / Non-fictionAn autobiographical account of Brown's youth in Harlem, candidly portraying poverty, violence, drug addiction, and his coming of age in the 1940s and 1950s.
Coming of ageUrban povertyRace and social environmentDrugs and crime
Translations
- Japanese translation
- Spanish translation
- French translation
Children of Ham
1976 Fiction / Social novelFollows several Black teenagers from Harlem who attempt to escape the grip of heroin addiction; received less commercial success than his first book.
Drug addictionRehabilitation and hopeUrban social issues
Bibliography
- Manchild in the Promised Land (1965)
- Children of Ham (1976)
Translations of Works
- Japanese translation of Manchild in the Promised Land
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Direct and candid narrative voiceBlend of autobiographical storytelling and social analysis
- Recurring Motifs
- Street life in HarlemViolence and organized crimeDestructive impact of drugsSelf-redemption and the importance of education
Legacy
Since its 1965 publication, Manchild in the Promised Land became a seminal work in urban and African-American literature. It sold over four million copies, was widely adopted in secondary and higher education, and provoked controversy and bans in some schools due to frank language.
In Popular Culture
- Adopted in school curricula and subject to censorship controversies
- Frequently cited as a representative autobiography addressing urban life and drug problems
Quotes
-
I was a manchild in the promised land, but the promised land was not the paradise the migrants expected.
Source: Manchild in the Promised Land (1965)
Trivia
- Manchild in the Promised Land reportedly sold over four million copies.
- The book was banned in some schools for its frank language.
- Claude Brown wrote articles for national magazines including Esquire and Look.