Complete Poems

2000 marks the centenary of "Lift Every Voice and Sing," James Weldon Johnson's most famous lyric, which is now embraced as the Negro National Anthem. In celebration, this Penguin original collects all the poems from Johnson's published works— Fifty Years and Other Poems (1917), God's Trombones (1927), and Saint Peter Relates an Incident of the Resurrection Day (1935)—along with a number of previously unpublished poems. Sondra Kathryn Wilson, the foremost authority on Johnson and his work, provides an introduction that sheds light on Johnson's many achievements and his pioneering contributions to recording and celebrating the African American experience. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. This work collects all of Johnson's poems, including the famous "Lift Every Voice and Sing," which, written in 1900 to honor Lincoln's birthday, became known as the "Negro National Anthem" during the Harlem Renaissance. The leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Johnson in his poetry reflects the experience of African-Americans in the early 20th century. Best remembered today for her association with the legendary Algonquin Round Table, Dorothy Parker was a firecracker whose satirical wit and sharp-edged humor earned her a reputation as the wittiest woman in America. This volume, a companion to Parker's Complete Stories, presents the first complete edition of Parker's poetry. --Penguin