The Big Sea

work by Hughes

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July 16, 2026

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The Big Sea is an autobiography by Langston Hughes, published in 1940. It chronicles his life up to the age of 28, detailing his experiences and his development as a writer. Hughes was a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance, and his work, including this autobiography, focuses on the African American experience. The book covers his early life, his travels, and his formative years in New York City, reflecting his deep connection to Harlem and his commitment to creating a uniquely Black literature.12

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African American literature
Novelists
…achievement in autobiography was Hughes’s The Big Sea (1940), which contains the most insightful and unsentimental first-person account of the Harlem Renaissance ever published. Yet the most notable narratives produced by the Harlem Renaissance came from Toomer (himself an accomplished poet), Fisher, Wallace Henry Thurman, Hurston, and Nella Larsen. Toomer’s…
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…achievement in autobiography was Hughes’s The Big Sea (1940), which contains the most insightful and unsentimental first-person account of the Harlem Renaissance ever published. Yet the most notable narratives produced by the Harlem Renaissance came from Toomer (himself an accomplished poet), Fisher, Wallace Henry Thurman, Hurston, and Nella Larsen. Toomer’s…
Read More