David Ray

Robert M. Farnsworth

Richard Wright: Impressions and Perspectives

In this biography of Tolson, Robert M. Farnsworth has gathered much new information on the poet from family papers; from reminiscences of friends, acquaintances, and relatives; and from scholarly analyses of his work to create a clarifying and insightful account of the poet's life. The events and preoccupations of Tolson's life in turn provide a useful context for examining Tolson's major poems. Moreover, Farnsworth has determined the chronology of most of Tolson's writings, many of which were before either unknown or known only through obscure references. --University of Missouri Press.

Plain Talk and Poetic Prophecy

Melvin B. Tolson, 1898-1966

Beginning with Snow's youthful ambition to travel the globe and concluding with his notable, if unobtrusive, role in the reestablishment of diplomatic ties between America and China, Farnsworth weaves a spellbinding narrative. Snow's adventure in Asia began in Yokohama, where he landed as a stowaway from Hawaii. Then, just steps ahead of Japanese port police, he made his way to China, where he soon empathized with the suffering of the Chinese people and became curious about the role Communism might play in the rebellion against colonialism. As he traveled throughout the continent during the next thirteen years, Snow established contacts with many important people and won extraordinary personal access to the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party. In 1936 he became the first Western journalist to visit the Chinese Red forces and report on a detailed interview with Mao Tse-tung after the completion of the epic Long March.

Robert M. Farnsworth

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