So
I was casually looking up Henry Dumas because I wanted to find out how he or his work was influenced by his
time stationed in Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, I didn’t find anything about
that (and I’m a bit skeptical if he was really affected by his time there since
he would’ve been around other soldiers who share his language and culture and
so it’s unlikely he would have spent much time out and about in Saudi Arabia
absorbing complex Arabic poetry that Arabs themselves have trouble
understanding.)
However,
I did find something that would be of
more interest to this class. After the death of Henry Dumas, Jeffery B. Leak wrote
a biography on him titled Visible Man (that’s
right, as opposed to “Invisible Man”.) The book focuses on Dumas and his art in
the context of Black Art, Black Power, and the
Civil Rights Movement. As discussed in class, Dumas was shot and killed
by a policeman in his early thirties.
My opinion: I don’t think Visible
Man is the best title to give Dumas’ biography unless given out of irony.
Of course Dumas had a lot of influence and wrote very important works for
African American literature, but I also feel his invisibility to be similar to the narrator’s. The biggest evidence
of that to me is his death: an example of police brutality and a killing
primarily based off of skin color. Dumas wasn’t visible to everyone, otherwise
he wouldn’t have been killed. Maybe I’m being too skeptical though (?)
Opinions?
