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English Professor Arnold Rampersad Discusses Restoring the Work of Richard Wright.

English professor Arnold Rampersad. He's just edited a new edition of the works of black writer Richard Wright. Wright's novel, "Native Son," was a breakthrough in African American literature when it was published in 1940. It also turns out many scenes dealing with the sexual activities of the main character were removed, to make the novel more palatable to Book Month Club subscribers. Those cuts have been restored in this new edition (by The Library of America). Arnold Rampersad heads the Program in American Studies at Princeton University, and he's the author of an award-winning biography of Langston Hughes.

23:08

Other segments from the episode on November 20, 1991

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, November 20, 1991: Interview with Arnold Rampersad; Interview with Holly Woodlawn; Review of Ran Hansen's novel "Mariette in Ecstasy."

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