Larry Neal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Larry Neal
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| Born |
Lawrence Paul Neal
September 5, 1937 |
| Died | January 6, 1981 (aged 43) |
| Alma mater | Lincoln University (Pennsylvania), University of Pennsylvania |
| Spouse(s) | Evelyn Rodgers |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | City College of New York. Wesleyan University. Yale University |
Larry Neal (born Lawrence Paul Neal, September 5, 1937 – January 6, 1981) was an important writer and thinker. He was known for his work in African-American theatre. He played a big part in the Black Arts Movement during the 1960s and 1970s.
Neal helped encourage Black culture to celebrate its own unique art and ideas. He believed Black artists should focus on their heritage. He thought their work was just as important as any other art form.
Contents
Larry Neal's Life Story
Early Life and Education
Larry Neal was born in Atlanta, Georgia. His parents, Woodie and Maggie Neal, had five sons. His parents greatly influenced his later work. His father loved to read, even though he didn't finish high school. His mother taught him to love art.
Larry graduated from Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia in 1956. He then went to Lincoln University (Pennsylvania). He earned a degree in history and English in 1961. In 1963, he received a master's degree in Folklore from the University of Pennsylvania. Folklore, which is the study of traditional stories and beliefs, became a key part of his later writings.
Teaching and Writing Career
In 1963, Neal briefly taught at Drexel Institute of Technology in Philadelphia. The next year, he moved to New York. He worked as a copywriter for Wiley and Sons.
From 1968 to 1969, Neal taught at the City College of New York. He then taught at Wesleyan University for a year. After that, he taught at Yale University from 1970 to 1975. While at Yale, he received a special award called a Guggenheim Fellowship. This award helped him study African-American critical studies.
Neal also worked with Amiri Baraka to start the Black Arts Repertory Theatre/School. This was a place for Black artists to create and learn.
A Voice for Black Arts
Larry Neal's early writings were very important. They helped explain the role of art during the Black Power era. This was a time when many Black people wanted to celebrate their heritage and gain more rights. His essays, like "The Black Arts Movement" (1968), were very influential.
Neal also became the arts editor for Liberator magazine from 1964 to 1969. He was also the educational director for the Black Panther Party. He was a member of the Revolutionary Action Movement. During this time, he became more involved in movements for Black rights and culture. His work as an editor allowed him to interview many famous Black artists, musicians, and writers. This made him even more involved in the Black Arts Movement.
His Important Writings
Larry Neal's essays and poems appeared in many publications. These included Liberator, Drama Critique, and Black World. He helped start or edit some of these magazines.
He wrote and produced two major plays. These were The Glorious Monster in the Bell of the Horn (1976) and In an Upstate Motel (1981). Critics described Glorious Monster as a poetic play. It showed the hopes of Black artists and the middle class.
Neal's essays often discussed social issues and ideas about art. His poetry focused on African-American stories, history, and language. He also discovered that Ed Bullins had copied parts of Albert Camus's play The Just Assassins. This is called plagiarism, which means using someone else's work without giving them credit.
One of his most famous works was the essay "The Black Arts Movement." In this essay, he wrote about the need for artists to connect with their community. He talked about the "Black aesthetic," which means ideas about beauty that come from Black culture. He believed it was important to reject "white aesthetic" ideas that didn't fit Black experiences. This essay showed the main idea of his work as a leader in the Black Arts Movement.
Later Career and Legacy
Larry Neal held an important position at Howard University in Washington D.C. He was the Andrew W. Mellon Chair in humanities. From 1976 to 1979, he was the Executive Director for the District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities. This group helped give money to support the arts in Black communities.
Family Life
In 1965, Larry Neal married Evelyn Rodgers, who was a chemist. They adopted one son named Avatar.
Larry Neal passed away from a heart attack on January 6, 1981. He was at a theater workshop in Hamilton, New York. You can find more information about his life and work at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. This center is part of the New York Public Library.
Larry Neal's Works
- Black Boogaloo: Notes on Black Liberation (poetry) (1969)
- Introductions to Zora Neale Hurston's autobiography, Dust Tracks on a Road, and her novel Jonah’s Gourd Vine (1971).
- Moving On Up (screenplay) (1973)
- Hoodoo Hollerin' Bebop Ghosts (poetry) (1974)
- The Glorious Monster in the Bell of the Horn (play) (1979)
- In an Upstate Motel: A Morality Play (play) (1980)
- Visions of a Liberated Future: Black Arts Movement Writings Edited by Michael Schwartz; with commentary by Amiri Baraka, Stanley Crouch, Charles Fuller, and Jayne Cortez (essays) (1989)
As an Editor
- Black Fire: An Anthology of Afro-American Writing (co-editor, with Amiri Baraka) (1968)
- Trippin': A Need for Change (co-author, with Amiri Baraka and A. B. Spellman) (1969)
