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The Undiscovered Paul Robeson: An Artist's Journey, 1898-1939
The long-awaited, untold, inside story of the rise of the legendary actor, singer, scholar, and activist. The first volume of this major biography breaks new ground.
The greatest scholar-athlete-performing artist in U.S. history, Paul Robeson was one of the most compelling figures of the twentieth century.
Now his son, Paul Robeson Jr., traces the dramatic arc of his rise to fame, painting a definitive picture of Paul Robeson's formative years. His father was an escaped slave; his mother, a descendent of freedmen; and his wife, the brilliant and ambitious Eslanda Cardozo Goode. With a law degree from Columbia University; a professional football career; title roles in Eugene O'Neill's plays and in Shakespeare's Othello; and a concert career in America and Europe, Robeson dominated his era.
This unprecedented biography reveals the depth of Robeson's cultural scholarship, explores the contradictions he bridged in his personal and political life, and describes his emergence as a symbol of the anticolonial and antifascist struggles. Filled with previously unpublished photographs and source materials from the private diaries and letters of Paul and Eslanda Robeson, this is the epic story of a forerunner who now stands as one of America's greatest heroes.
The greatest scholar-athlete-performing artist in U.S. history, Paul Robeson was one of the most compelling figures of the twentieth century.
Now his son, Paul Robeson Jr., traces the dramatic arc of his rise to fame, painting a definitive picture of Paul Robeson's formative years. His father was an escaped slave; his mother, a descendent of freedmen; and his wife, the brilliant and ambitious Eslanda Cardozo Goode. With a law degree from Columbia University; a professional football career; title roles in Eugene O'Neill's plays and in Shakespeare's Othello; and a concert career in America and Europe, Robeson dominated his era.
This unprecedented biography reveals the depth of Robeson's cultural scholarship, explores the contradictions he bridged in his personal and political life, and describes his emergence as a symbol of the anticolonial and antifascist struggles. Filled with previously unpublished photographs and source materials from the private diaries and letters of Paul and Eslanda Robeson, this is the epic story of a forerunner who now stands as one of America's greatest heroes.
- GenresBiography
400 pages, Hardcover
First published March 2, 2001
16 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
Paul Robeson Jr.
3 books2 followersPaul Leroy Robeson Jr. was an American author, archivist and historian.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 6, 2012
This book focused mainly on racial and class issues and how they related to Paul Robeson's life and work. Paul Robeson was a talented singer, songwriter, actor, athlete and political activist. He believed that the struggle of black liberation in the United States was connected to the struggles and victories of other oppressed peoples around the world. He also understood that racial and class issues were inseparable from one another.
Paul Robeson was a very skilled actor and singer. Robeson played an important role in the Harlem renaissance. He was the first black actor to play Othello in Shakespeare's play 'Othello'. He was also very well know for his acting and singing in 'showboat', especially for the song 'Ol' Man River'. He is also well known for is singing of the English version of the national anthem of the Soviet Union and the national anthem of the People's Republic of China.
Paul Robeson was very active in the civil rights struggle in the United States. He took part in protests against Jim Crow segregation. He worked with the Communist Party of the United States and the NAACP in fighting for the rights of black people in the US. He firmly believed that the liberation struggles going on in Africa were connected to the African American struggle, he was the co-founded the Council on African Affairs.
While he understood that there needed to be a struggle with racial equality as the main goal he was also knew that the issue of race and class were intertwined. Paul Robeson was an internationalist. He drew a tremendous amount of inspiration from the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China. He said in an interview in London in 1958 "The Socialist lands, in the sense of the Soviet Union, China and the people's democracies are the hope, and I repeat it, the hope of the future". He also said "They see how under the great Stalin millions like themselves have found a new life. They see that aided and guided by the example of the Soviet Union, led by their Mao Zedong, a new China adds its mighty power to the true and expanding socialist way of life. They see formerly semi-colonial Eastern European nations building new People's Democracies, based upon the people's power with the people shaping their own destinies. So much of this progress stems from the magnificent leadership, theoretical and practical, given by their friend Joseph Stalin". Paul Robeson lived in the Soviet Union for several years and spoke Russia fluently. Another quote that clearly shows his opinion on the USSR is "I am truly happy that I am able to travel from time to time to the USSR - the country I love above all. I always have been, I am now and will always be a loyal friend of the Soviet Union". Paul Robeson was a Marxist-Leninist and a firm defender of Stalin and Stalinism. On December 21 1952 he was awarded the Stalin peace prize (a gold metal and 100,000 rubles,equivalent to $25,000) from the Soviet government, which only one other American was awarded. Even though he was a staunch Stalinist he was a close friend of Nikita Khrushchev. Robeson said in reference to the desalinization policies of Khrushchev that "It is up to the Russian people to judge Stalin, not outsiders". He was internationally acclaimed; Paul Robeson had dinner with high ranking officials of the USSR, China, India, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Nigeria and Ghana. Because of his activities for freedom and equally, his connection the CPUSA, the Soviet Union and China he was blacklisted in 1950.
Paul Robeson was not active in the struggles for racial and economic equality only in the United States, but worldwide. He was able to reach people around the world through writing, speaking, singing and acting. Because of his work there are few places around the world were he is not known.
Paul Robeson was a very skilled actor and singer. Robeson played an important role in the Harlem renaissance. He was the first black actor to play Othello in Shakespeare's play 'Othello'. He was also very well know for his acting and singing in 'showboat', especially for the song 'Ol' Man River'. He is also well known for is singing of the English version of the national anthem of the Soviet Union and the national anthem of the People's Republic of China.
Paul Robeson was very active in the civil rights struggle in the United States. He took part in protests against Jim Crow segregation. He worked with the Communist Party of the United States and the NAACP in fighting for the rights of black people in the US. He firmly believed that the liberation struggles going on in Africa were connected to the African American struggle, he was the co-founded the Council on African Affairs.
While he understood that there needed to be a struggle with racial equality as the main goal he was also knew that the issue of race and class were intertwined. Paul Robeson was an internationalist. He drew a tremendous amount of inspiration from the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China. He said in an interview in London in 1958 "The Socialist lands, in the sense of the Soviet Union, China and the people's democracies are the hope, and I repeat it, the hope of the future". He also said "They see how under the great Stalin millions like themselves have found a new life. They see that aided and guided by the example of the Soviet Union, led by their Mao Zedong, a new China adds its mighty power to the true and expanding socialist way of life. They see formerly semi-colonial Eastern European nations building new People's Democracies, based upon the people's power with the people shaping their own destinies. So much of this progress stems from the magnificent leadership, theoretical and practical, given by their friend Joseph Stalin". Paul Robeson lived in the Soviet Union for several years and spoke Russia fluently. Another quote that clearly shows his opinion on the USSR is "I am truly happy that I am able to travel from time to time to the USSR - the country I love above all. I always have been, I am now and will always be a loyal friend of the Soviet Union". Paul Robeson was a Marxist-Leninist and a firm defender of Stalin and Stalinism. On December 21 1952 he was awarded the Stalin peace prize (a gold metal and 100,000 rubles,equivalent to $25,000) from the Soviet government, which only one other American was awarded. Even though he was a staunch Stalinist he was a close friend of Nikita Khrushchev. Robeson said in reference to the desalinization policies of Khrushchev that "It is up to the Russian people to judge Stalin, not outsiders". He was internationally acclaimed; Paul Robeson had dinner with high ranking officials of the USSR, China, India, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Nigeria and Ghana. Because of his activities for freedom and equally, his connection the CPUSA, the Soviet Union and China he was blacklisted in 1950.
Paul Robeson was not active in the struggles for racial and economic equality only in the United States, but worldwide. He was able to reach people around the world through writing, speaking, singing and acting. Because of his work there are few places around the world were he is not known.
January 21, 2020
A fascinating and conflicted individual. His reactions to the Soviet purges in 1937 are particularly interesting.
April 19, 2011
Family members often make for unreliable biographers, and the inherent problems concerning this type of endeavor are particularly acute in the case of Robeson Jr. The political and personal lives of father and son are so thoroughly interwoven that the author at times seems completely unaware of his lack of objectivity. An interesting resource if you are planning a thorough study of my personal favorite American, but you should look to Duberman if you plan on reading only one book.
September 9, 2023
Paul Robeson was one of the most dynamic characters in the twentieth century, but is often forgotten today. A pastor’s son, he grew to be a unanimous All-American defensive end at Rutgers, an award-winning scholar, a law student, a stage actor, a musical artist, a polyglot, and a film actor – all in the first forty years of his life and all despite a strong culture of racism in his home country. The second half of his life was shackled in a brutal political fight against a racist American system. Civil rights leaders in the 1960s credited him with inspiring them in “the movement.” In this biography, his son provides us with an intimate look at the first half of his life.
Robeson’s early life and life at Rutgers are well-chronicled here, in a way only a family member can. The abject racism – even in New Jersey – is told through personal stories, presumably passed in family lore. Here, we can observe the elder Robeson’s courage and determination. With his father William’s encouragement, the elder Paul attempted to be the “model Negro.” His magnificent voice and acting skills took him to England for a decade. He was able to travel Europe and North Africa. Notably, he encountered a much less racist but more classist society in Britain along with fascism while traveling in 1930s Germany for the first time. To him, fascism was a cousin (if not closer) to racism and became a lifelong enemy.
The backstories of two life challenges are described here, too. First, the elder Robeson often sided with communism over fascism in his political stances, much to the chagrin of American conservatives. This tendency provided official trouble in America during the Red Scare after World War II. The younger Robeson explains this as fundamentally an anti-fascist attitude. Like MLK, he saw that communism contained a successful critique of the American racist structure. Alongside his father, his son maintains his family’s essential patriotism for America, including the criticisms. Second, the son describes early difficulties of his father’s marriage with Essie in detail. These accounts make an eminent figure like Paul Robeson to appear much more human, much more like us.
Paul Robeson is sadly a name often forgotten today. We acknowledge the Martin Luther Kings, the Rosa Parks, the Septima Clarks, and the John Lewises much, all with mettle made in the late 1950s and 1960s. The excellence of Paul Robeson taught these leaders, in prior years while younger, of the feasibility of American equality. If Paul could be a world-renowned figure, then American culture could learn to change. If Paul could maintain his faith and integrity while protesting against American racism, so could they. Future generations deserve to hear Paul Robeson’s story, told here with intimate access.
Robeson’s early life and life at Rutgers are well-chronicled here, in a way only a family member can. The abject racism – even in New Jersey – is told through personal stories, presumably passed in family lore. Here, we can observe the elder Robeson’s courage and determination. With his father William’s encouragement, the elder Paul attempted to be the “model Negro.” His magnificent voice and acting skills took him to England for a decade. He was able to travel Europe and North Africa. Notably, he encountered a much less racist but more classist society in Britain along with fascism while traveling in 1930s Germany for the first time. To him, fascism was a cousin (if not closer) to racism and became a lifelong enemy.
The backstories of two life challenges are described here, too. First, the elder Robeson often sided with communism over fascism in his political stances, much to the chagrin of American conservatives. This tendency provided official trouble in America during the Red Scare after World War II. The younger Robeson explains this as fundamentally an anti-fascist attitude. Like MLK, he saw that communism contained a successful critique of the American racist structure. Alongside his father, his son maintains his family’s essential patriotism for America, including the criticisms. Second, the son describes early difficulties of his father’s marriage with Essie in detail. These accounts make an eminent figure like Paul Robeson to appear much more human, much more like us.
Paul Robeson is sadly a name often forgotten today. We acknowledge the Martin Luther Kings, the Rosa Parks, the Septima Clarks, and the John Lewises much, all with mettle made in the late 1950s and 1960s. The excellence of Paul Robeson taught these leaders, in prior years while younger, of the feasibility of American equality. If Paul could be a world-renowned figure, then American culture could learn to change. If Paul could maintain his faith and integrity while protesting against American racism, so could they. Future generations deserve to hear Paul Robeson’s story, told here with intimate access.
April 27, 2023
Seminal biography of a wise man
This book is an account of a major part of the life of the multi-hyphenated sports player, artist and activist Paul Robeson. At first I somewhat doubted the neutrality of the writer, he being the son of P. R. and due to the contentiousness of their relationship with the Soviet Union. I needn't have worried; both the amazing talents and human flaws are brought ought, as well as numerous lucky and unlucky escapades and episodes.
As a white European person married to a Nigerian born woman, I am definitely pro Afro-American rights, and found that aspect very inspiring. I found the history of the Harlem Renaissance illuminating. I was not expecting the analysis of wars, but it also has been done well, as all in the book.
There's even a section of esthetical theory of Eisenstein, and much on histrionics, films and singing. Education is dealt with, the dangers of propaganda brought out; wittiness, intelligence and being highly talented in a biased world surface constantly throughout the work.
Shortly, the main characteristic present is wisdom.
I read the Kindle edition.
This book is an account of a major part of the life of the multi-hyphenated sports player, artist and activist Paul Robeson. At first I somewhat doubted the neutrality of the writer, he being the son of P. R. and due to the contentiousness of their relationship with the Soviet Union. I needn't have worried; both the amazing talents and human flaws are brought ought, as well as numerous lucky and unlucky escapades and episodes.
As a white European person married to a Nigerian born woman, I am definitely pro Afro-American rights, and found that aspect very inspiring. I found the history of the Harlem Renaissance illuminating. I was not expecting the analysis of wars, but it also has been done well, as all in the book.
There's even a section of esthetical theory of Eisenstein, and much on histrionics, films and singing. Education is dealt with, the dangers of propaganda brought out; wittiness, intelligence and being highly talented in a biased world surface constantly throughout the work.
Shortly, the main characteristic present is wisdom.
I read the Kindle edition.
August 16, 2020
Written by his son, this first volume study of Paul Robeson's life shares photographs, diary entries, and family correspondence. This is an excellent snapshot of an era when the life of a black artist was complicated by American racism, and the tremendous intellect of a thoughtful genius who had his own views of the world could be stifled by an America unwilling to open its mind.
Paul Robeson could have lived a life - just based on his talents in academics, entertainment, and sports. Money earned with his talents his first 40 years - he gives it away to stand up to the injustices he saw in America and the world.
Paul Robeson could have lived a life - just based on his talents in academics, entertainment, and sports. Money earned with his talents his first 40 years - he gives it away to stand up to the injustices he saw in America and the world.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews