Richard Wright

Richard Wright (1908–1960) was an African American writer. He was born on a plantation near Natchez, Mississippi, and moved to Chicago at the age of 19. There, he worked variously as a street sweeper, dishwasher and postal employee. He became known for his 1940 novel *Native Son*, published in German as *Sohn dieses Landes*. His other major works include the memoirs *Black Boy* (*American Hunger*) and the short-story collection *Uncle Tom’s Children*. Wright also wrote essays, short stories and poetry. He died in Paris in 1960.