Charles Wright (novelist) facts for kids

Charles Stevenson Wright (born June 22, 1932 – died October 1, 2008) was an American writer who wrote novels. He is known for his books like The Messenger, The Wig, and Absolutely Nothing to Get Alarmed About.

Growing Up: Charles Wright's Early Life

Charles Wright was born in New Franklin, Missouri. This was on June 4, 1932. When he was four, his mother passed away. He then went to live with his grandmother. She really helped him love reading.

Wright left high school before finishing. His only other schooling was a short time at the Handy Writers' Colony. This was in Marshall, Illinois. A writer named James Jones taught there. After this, Wright joined the Army.

Charles Wright's Writing Career

In 1955, Wright moved to Manhattan, New York. He worked many jobs that didn't pay much. All this time, he was writing his first novel. This book, The Messenger, was published in 1963.

His second novel was called The Wig. It got good reviews from critics. Conrad Knickerbocker wrote in The New York Times that it was "brutal, exciting and necessary." Wright's third and last novel came out in 1973. It was titled Absolutely Nothing to Get Alarmed About. Parts of this book had been printed before as essays. They appeared in The Village Voice newspaper.

Later, a writer named Dwight Garner wrote about Wright. He said reading Wright's books was "a steep, stinging pleasure." Another writer, Ishmael Reed, compared Wright to a famous comedian. Reed said Wright was "Richard Pryor before there was a Richard Pryor." Reed also wrote an introduction for a collection of Wright's novels. This book was called The Collected Novels of Charles Wright.