American Book Awards
2 appearances
-
Edition 1 (1980) Winner
-
Edition 31 (2010) Lifetime Achievement Award
Quincy Troupe
クインシー・トループ
Quincy Troupe
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1939-07-22 （St. Louis, Missouri, US）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- St. Louis, Missouri → Los Angeles, California → La Jolla, California (UCSD) → New York City
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Editor, Journalist, Professor emeritus
- Active Years
- 1960-
- Affiliations
- College of Staten Island (faculty), University of California, San Diego (professor, professor emeritus), Watts Writers Workshop (participant, editor)
- Influenced By
- Miles Davis, Jean-Paul Sartre, James Baldwin, Amiri Baraka, Nikki Giovanni, Ishmael Reed, Wanda Coleman, Haki Madhubuti
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grambling State University | — | — | — | 1957–1958 | United States |
| Los Angeles City College (journalism courses) | — | Journalism | — | — | United States |
Grambling State University
Period:
1957–1958
Country:
United States
Attended on a basketball scholarship but left after one year; did not complete degree
Los Angeles City College (journalism courses)
Journalism
Country:
United States
Took journalism classes
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | American Book Award | Miles: The Autobiography (co-author) | — | Before Columbus Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2002 | California Poet Laureate (appointment) | — | — | Office of the Governor of California | 任命（後に辞任） |
| 2022 | National Book Award (Poetry) — Longlist | Duende | 詩 | National Book Foundation | ロングリスト |
American Book Award
Work:
Miles: The Autobiography (co-author)
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
受賞
California Poet Laureate (appointment)
2002
Organization:
Office of the Governor of California
Result:
任命（後に辞任）
National Book Award (Poetry) — Longlist
2022
Work:
Duende
Category:
詩
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
ロングリスト
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Miles: The Autobiography
1989 Autobiography (co-authored)Autobiography of jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, co-authored with Quincy Troupe, detailing Davis's life, music, and personal struggles.
JazzSelf-formationMusic and culture
Duende: Poems, 1966-Now
2022 PoetryA poetry collection spanning 1966 to the present, interweaving jazz influences, Black Arts Movement themes, and personal recollections.
JazzMemoryRace and culture
Miles and Me: A Memoir of Miles Davis
2000 MemoirA memoir recounting Quincy Troupe's relationship and memories with Miles Davis, describing their early encounters and collaboration.
FriendshipMusic historyReminiscence
The Pursuit of Happyness
2006 Memoir (co-authored)Co-authored autobiography of Chris Gardner, which later inspired the film starring Will Smith.
Adversity and successFamilyEconomic hardship
Adaptations
- [Film] The Pursuit of Happyness (film) / ガブリエレ・ムッチーノ (2006)
Bibliography
- Duende: Poems, 1966-Now (2022)
- Seduction: New Poems, 2013-2018 (2018)
- Ghost Voices: A Poem in Prayer (2018)
- Miles and Me (2000, new edition 2018)
- Earl the Pearl: My Story (with Earl Monroe, 2013)
- Errançities, New Poems (2011)
- The Architecture of Language (2006)
- The Pursuit of Happyness (with Chris Gardner, 2006)
- Little Stevie Wonder (children's book, 2005)
- Transcircularities; New and Selected Poems (2002)
- Take it to the Hoop: Magic Johnson (children's book, 2001)
- Miles and Me (University of California Press, 2000)
- Choruses (poems, 1999)
- Avalanche (poems, 1996)
- Weather Reports: New and Selected Poems (1991)
- Miles: The Autobiography (co-author, 1989)
- James Baldwin: The Legacy (ed., 1989)
- Skulls Along the River (poems, 1984)
- Snake-Back Solos: Selected Poems 1969-1977 (1979)
- The Inside Story of T.V.'s Roots (with David L. Wolper, 1978)
- Giant Talk: An Anthology of Third World Writing (ed., 1972)
- Embryo (poems, 1972)
- Watts Poets and Writers (ed., 1968)
Adaptations
- The Pursuit of Happyness (2006 film; Quincy Troupe co-authored the book that inspired the film)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Incorporates jazz rhythms and improvisational cadenceColloquial, performance-oriented poetryPolitically engaged style rooted in the Black Arts Movement
- Recurring Motifs
- Jazz and musicMemory and reminiscenceRace and identityUrban landscapes
Legacy
Quincy Troupe is a poet and editor closely tied to jazz culture and the Black Arts Movement. Through works such as the co-authorship of Miles Davis's autobiography and his teaching career, he has contributed to music history and left a lasting influence on American poetry.
Archives
- Quincy Troupe papers, 1915–2008, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library
In Popular Culture
- Co-authored The Pursuit of Happyness, which was adapted into a popular film in 2006, increasing public recognition.
Quotes
-
"When I left that joint that afternoon, I felt as though I had undergone a secret initiation, a rite of passage, one that would separate me forever from the rest of the students at Beaumont High School."
Source: Miles and Me (2000)
Trivia
- His father was baseball catcher Quincy Trouppe; the family name spelling was adjusted for Spanish pronunciation in Mexico.
- Co-authored Miles Davis's autobiography which received an American Book Award (year recorded as 0 where sources are unclear).
- Appointed California Poet Laureate in 2002 but resigned after discrepancies about his academic record surfaced.
- Co-authored Chris Gardner's memoir which became the basis for the 2006 film The Pursuit of Happyness.