Cullen, Countée

Cullen, Countée (b. Countée L. Porter) (1903–46) poet; born in New York City. Raised by foster parents, he studied at New York University (B.A. 1925) and Harvard (M.A. 1926). Having achieved some recognition for his poetry while still a student, as an African-American he was regarded as contributing to the so-called Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, but his particular style—as seen in such works as Color (1925) and Copper Sun (1927)—was more derived from European traditions than from African-American idioms and has not survived his era. Awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in 1928, he spent most of the next six years in Paris. On returning to New York City he taught at a junior high school (1934–46); he also edited a magazine, Opportunity. In addition to his poetry, he wrote a novel (One Way to Heaven, 1932) and stories for children.