Langston Hughes Signed Contract for his autobiography I Wonder As I Wander

Hughes, Langston

DS - Document Signed

Langston Hughes. Signed contract authorizing use of Hughes' autobiography I Wonder As I Wander. New York, 1957. Measures 14" x 8.5". 2 pages. Contract between Hughes and Jacobo Huchnik for the publication and distribution of the book's Spanish-language translation. I Wonder As I Wander was published in 1934, twenty three years before it was translated in Spanish under this contract. The publisher paid Hughes $150, ( the equivalent of $1,550 today). Throughout the 1930s Hughes traveled extensively through the Soviet Union, Haiti, Asia and Latin America, giving lectures and publishing prose as he went to cover expenses. I Wonder As I Wander recalls those travels which were as much an effort to make a living as they were to see the world. "When I was almost thirty," the book begins, "I began to make my living from writing." That the book garnered him a publishing deal in multiple languages speaks to the clarity of Hughes' vision for what it would take to achieve an impossible dream. His travels are part of a tradition of black writers leaving the United States to experience global opportunities beyond American racism. “I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go," Hughes writes. "You might have to squeeze through a knothole, humble yourself, drink muddy tea from consumptive bowls or eat camel sausage, pass for Mexican, or take that last chance, but—well, if you really want to get there, that's the way it is." Hughes did as much and more in his own time abroad. Signed "Langston Hughes" in green ink. The contract is also signed by "Jacobo Huchnik" as Editor and "Eulah C.Pharr" as Witness. A light 1" repair tape on one the blank margin, at fold, not affecting text or signature. Overall very good condition with a bold green signature.

Item #18107

Price: $2,500.00