Paul Laurence Dunbar Dies, Legacy of America's First Nationally Recognized Black Poet

Paul Laurence Dunbar died at age 33, leaving behind a body of poetry, novels, and short stories that had made him the first African American poet to achieve national and international critical recognition. His dialect poetry, though later debated, gave voice to Black rural Southern life, while his formal verse addressed race and humanity with power. Dunbar's work influenced the Harlem Renaissance poets who followed him.