Umbra Literary Journal # 1, 2 & 3 RARE Black Arts Movement Poetry 1963 3 issues

  

The first three issues of the early, venerable literary journal Umbra, originally edited by Thomas C. Hernton and later by David Henderson. This important document of the inchoate Black Arts Movement, published by the Society of Umbra, predated and presaged the first black nationalist periodicals Soulbook, Black Dialogue, and The Journal of Black Poetry.

The Society of Umbra would declare in its inaugural issue that it had a definite orientation: 1 the experience of being Negro, especially in America; and 2 that quality of human awareness often termed'social consciousness'. We do not exist for those seemingly selected perennial'best sellers' and literary'spokesmen of the race situation' who are currently popular in the commercial press and slick in-group journals. Umbra exists to provide a vehicle for those outspoken and youthful writers who present aspects of social and racial reality which may be called'uncommercial','unpalatable','unpopular','unwanted' -- but cannot with any honesty be considered nonessential to a whole and healthy society. These issues put into print prose, poetry, art, and photography from a distinguished group of Black writers, artists, scholars and activists, including Julian Bond, Lerone Benett, Lorenzo Thomas, Askia Muhammad Touré (Rolland Snellings), Ishmael Reed, Ray Durem, Clarence Major, Ree Dragonette, Dudley Randall, Hillel Schwartz, Sun Ra, Langston Hughes, Len Chandler, Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones), Henry Dumas, Joe Overstreet, Bob Kaufman, Alice Walker, Aime Cesaire, and many others. Each book now in protective mylar dustjacket.

7" x 8.5" / 7" x 9.5" softcover books, staple-bound in card wraps. With black and white illustrations, the cover of the anthology being printed in three colors. From the collection of a tobacco smoker, with attendant tanning to covers and a very faint aroma of smoke within. Anthology issue with offset sunning.

Slight bowing to pageblock of no. Shelfwear mild to all issues, with occasional corner chips/creases, some rubbing to covers. Page interiors bright and crisp, unmarked, with sound bindings. Rare, in very good overall condition.