Richard Wright

Known for: Writer
Date of birth: 1908. September 4.
Place of birth: Roxie, Mississippi, USA

His powerful, eloquent work examined the injustices African-Americans face in a white society. He won immediate fame for his first novel, "Native Son" (1940). It tells the story of Bigger Thomas, a young chauffeur whose inarticulate rage over his lot ultimately erupts into violence. "Native Son" was...