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Not Without Laughter

Part of Vintage Classics

Author Langston Hughes
Paperback
$12.00 US
Knopf | Vintage
5-3/16"W x 8"H
On sale Jan 06, 2026 | 256 Pages | 9798217007554
Grades 9-12 + AP/IB
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The award-winning first novel by the legendary Black American poet

When his award-winning first novel Not Without Laughter was first published in 1930, Langston Hughes was already a luminary of the Harlem Renaissance scene, best known for his groundbreaking poetry. Not Without Laughter, which he had begun drafting while studying at Lincoln University, established him as a gifted novelist as well as a beloved poet.

At the heart of the novel is Sandy Rogers, a young boy who grows into a young man over the course of the novel, surrounded by his family. His mother, Annjee, works as a housekeeper for a wealthy white family; his irresponsible father, Jimboy, plays the guitar and travels the country in search of employment; his strong-willed grandmother Hager clings to her faith; his Aunt Tempy marries a rich man in the hope of a better life; and his Aunt Harriet struggles to make it as a blues singer.

Hughes created a fictional family based on those he had known while growing up in Kansas, painting a vivid portrait of their joys and hardships. Not Without Laughter is a moving account of what it was like to grow up African-American in the racially divided society of rural Kansas in the early part of the twentieth century.
Langston Hughes (1902–1967), a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance and one of the most influential and esteemed writers of the twentieth century, was born in Joplin, Missouri, and spent much of his childhood in Kansas before moving to Harlem. His first book of poetry, The Weary Blues, was published in 1926; its success helped him to win a scholarship to Lincoln University, in Pennsylvania, from which he received his B.A. in 1929 and an honorary Litt.D. in 1943. Among his other awards and honors were a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Rosenwald Fellowship, and a grant from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Hughes published more than thirty-five books, including works of poetry, short stories, novels, an autobiography, musicals, essays, and plays.

Angela Flournoy (introduction) was a finalist for the National Book Award for her debut novel, The Turner House. Her fiction has appeared in The Paris Review, and she has written for The New York Times, The New Republic, and the Los Angeles Times. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Flournoy was raised by a mother from Los Angeles and a father from Detroit and now lives in Brooklyn. View titles by Langston Hughes

About

The award-winning first novel by the legendary Black American poet

When his award-winning first novel Not Without Laughter was first published in 1930, Langston Hughes was already a luminary of the Harlem Renaissance scene, best known for his groundbreaking poetry. Not Without Laughter, which he had begun drafting while studying at Lincoln University, established him as a gifted novelist as well as a beloved poet.

At the heart of the novel is Sandy Rogers, a young boy who grows into a young man over the course of the novel, surrounded by his family. His mother, Annjee, works as a housekeeper for a wealthy white family; his irresponsible father, Jimboy, plays the guitar and travels the country in search of employment; his strong-willed grandmother Hager clings to her faith; his Aunt Tempy marries a rich man in the hope of a better life; and his Aunt Harriet struggles to make it as a blues singer.

Hughes created a fictional family based on those he had known while growing up in Kansas, painting a vivid portrait of their joys and hardships. Not Without Laughter is a moving account of what it was like to grow up African-American in the racially divided society of rural Kansas in the early part of the twentieth century.

Author

Langston Hughes (1902–1967), a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance and one of the most influential and esteemed writers of the twentieth century, was born in Joplin, Missouri, and spent much of his childhood in Kansas before moving to Harlem. His first book of poetry, The Weary Blues, was published in 1926; its success helped him to win a scholarship to Lincoln University, in Pennsylvania, from which he received his B.A. in 1929 and an honorary Litt.D. in 1943. Among his other awards and honors were a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Rosenwald Fellowship, and a grant from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Hughes published more than thirty-five books, including works of poetry, short stories, novels, an autobiography, musicals, essays, and plays.

Angela Flournoy (introduction) was a finalist for the National Book Award for her debut novel, The Turner House. Her fiction has appeared in The Paris Review, and she has written for The New York Times, The New Republic, and the Los Angeles Times. A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Flournoy was raised by a mother from Los Angeles and a father from Detroit and now lives in Brooklyn. View titles by Langston Hughes

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