Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906) is all but forgotten in today's literature. Yet he wrote some amazing poetry. I'm currently researching more about him. Dunbar was criticized by some black authors for writing some poetry in African dialect which, he admitted, he did not speak. The criticism, I believe, was because black folk who be perceived as illiterate and unable to speak proper English.
It may explain my interest in his work. I also see it as his keen insight on his understanding of dialectic language. Some folks did speak that way. The criticism was unjust, in my mind. Denying what actually was part of the slaves lives in America does them no justice.
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