Infants of the Spring

Infants of the Spring (1932) is a novel by Wallace Thurman, a prominent figure of the Harlem Renaissance. The work is a satire that critiques what Thurman perceived as the overvalued creative personalities within the Harlem literary scene. While some readers appreciated Thurman's sharp insights, others condemned him as a "racial traitor" for his critical portrayal of the movement. Thurman, an editor, critic, novelist, and playwright, was associated with the Harlem Renaissance during the 1920s and died in 1934. The Harlem Renaissance itself was a vibrant artistic and literary movement that occurred roughly from 1918 to 1937, with its peak in the 1920s.12