As a poet Cullen was conservative: he did not ignore racial themes, but based his works on the Romantic poets, especially Keats, and often used the traditional sonnet form. Not wanting to be considered a “Negro” poet, but rather a poet, Cullen ran into an age-old problem that African-American artists encounter.
Q. What jobs did Countee Cullen have?
Also a noted novelist, playwright and children’s author, Cullen later worked as a high school teacher.
Table of Contents
- Q. What jobs did Countee Cullen have?
- Q. Is Countee Cullen dead?
- Q. How old was Countee Cullen when he died?
- Q. What school did Countee Cullen attend?
- Q. What killed Countee Cullen?
- Q. What impact did Countee Cullen have?
- Q. What topics did Countee Cullen write about?
- Q. Who was Countee Cullen and what did he do?
- Q. What did Countee Cullen contribute to the Harlem Renaissance?
- Q. Where was Countee Cullen buried in New York City?
- Q. When did Countee Cullen marry Yolande Du Bois?
Q. Is Countee Cullen dead?
Deceased (1903–1946)
Countee Cullen/Living or Deceased
Q. How old was Countee Cullen when he died?
42 years (1903–1946)
Countee Cullen/Age at death
Countee Cullen died 28 years, ago at the age of 42. For most of the years since his death, his widow, Ida Cullen Cooper, has been on a personal odyssey around the country, reading his poems, convinced that “his works should live for poster ity.”
Q. What school did Countee Cullen attend?
Harvard University1925–1926
NYU TischDeWitt Clinton High School
Countee Cullen/Education
Q. What killed Countee Cullen?
High blood pressure (hypertension)
Countee Cullen/Cause of death
In another stretch, Cullen translated the Greek tragedy Medea by Euripides, which was published in 1935 as The Medea and Some Poems, with a collection of sonnets and short lyrics. Several years later, Cullen died from high blood pressure and uremic poisoning on January 9, 1946.
Q. What impact did Countee Cullen have?
Because of Cullen’s success in both black and white cultures, and because of his romantic temperament, he formulated an aesthetic that embraced both cultures. He came to believe that art transcended race and that it could be used as a vehicle to minimize the distance between black and white peoples.
Q. What topics did Countee Cullen write about?
In his poems, Cullen followed more English style, but still discussed the themes of the Harlem Renaissance. Many of his poems reflected the desire for racial equality and even color blindness. However, there was still the larger themes that connected to all races, such as faith and doubt, love, and mortality.
Q. Who was Countee Cullen and what did he do?
Writer Countee Cullen was an iconic figure of the Harlem Renaissance, known for his poetry, fiction and plays. Countee Cullen was born on May 30, 1903, and was recognized as an award-winning poet by his high school years.
Q. What did Countee Cullen contribute to the Harlem Renaissance?
Professional career. The social, cultural, and artistic explosion known as the Harlem Renaissance was the first time in American history that a large body of work was contributed to American literature by African Americans. Countee Cullen was at the epicenter of this new-found surge in literature. Cullen considered poetry to be raceless.
Q. Where was Countee Cullen buried in New York City?
Several years later, Cullen died from high blood pressure and uremic poisoning on January 9, 1946. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City. The Countee Cullen Library, a Harlem branch location of the New York Public Library, was named in his honor.
Q. When did Countee Cullen marry Yolande Du Bois?
With the publication of additional poetry volumes, Copper Sun and The Ballad of the Brown Girl (both 1927), Cullen was seen as a leading light of the Harlem Renaissance. In the spring of 1928, he wed Yolande Du Bois, the daughter of famed intellectual W.E.B. Du Bois, in an extravagant ceremony that brought together the African American gentry.
