Melvin B. Tolson

About

Modernist poet, author, and educator whose works include Libretto for the Republic of Liberia and Dark Symphony. A Gallery of Harlem Portraits, a posthumous collection of his poems, was published in 1979.

Before Fame

He was one of four children born to an African-American Methodist minister. He studied at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.

Trivia

His Master's thesis at Columbia University dealt with important writers of the Harlem Renaissance.

Family Life

He married Ruth Southall, with whom he subsequently had four children.

Associated With

He is portrayed by actor Denzel Washington in the 2007 film The Great Debaters.