7 Things You Didn’t Know

About Jean Toomer

Jean Toomer was an impactful voice during the Harlem Renaissance. He was a poet and novelist. His unique life experiences create an intriguing perspective of the world and society. While he is called a Black author in modern times, he did not agree with the racial binary.

Toomer takes an opinion of race in America, and “rather than binaristic racialized thought,” it is a “subjective difference” of opinion on culture presented.

His writing style was praised, and his most known work, Cane, is his only truly recognized masterpiece.

“Toomer is the first poet to unite folk culture and the elite culture of the white avant-garde,” he contended, “and he accomplishes this difficult task with considerable success.” — Kenneth Rexroth

7 facts You didn’t know

• He was born to a European mother and a Black father.
• He refused to be labeled as Black or White. In fact, he rejected the racial binary.
• He attended both all-white and all-black segregated schools.
• He was raised by a single parent.
• He was a school principal in Georgia in 1922.
• Cane was accepted and published, but most of his work was rejected by publishers after that.
• Near the end of his life, he converted to Quakerism and lived the remainder of his life isolated.

As an author who also comes from both worlds, I appreciate and gravitate towards Toomer’s work. He is a fascinating part of history, and I constantly learn more!