Richard Wright: Inspired by the Neighborhood

Of the numerous artists to have left their mark on Fort Greene, Richard Wright towers above them all. The author of “Native Son” wrote much of the classic novel sitting on a bench in Fort Greene Park, which was only a short walk from his apartment on Carlton Avenue between Willoughby and Myrtle avenues.

The classic, published in 1940, was the first national bestseller by a black author, and is considered one of the most important books about race in America. Upon its release, the novel redefined the conversation regarding the country’s societal ills.

“Along with Marianne Moore and Nelson George, Wright is certainly one of the most significant writers to come out of the neighborhood,” said Kate Fermoile, who worked on the recently published “Fort Greene Clinton Hill Neighborhood and Architectural History Guide,” by historian .

While writing his opus, Wright would wake up at around sunrise, walk to the and write on a yellow legal pad using a fountain pen. His landlord and friend, Jane Newton, said he always stuck to this routine.

“It can’t have been altogether pleasant,” Newton said in a passage cited by The Local. “There were gray days and I remember his coming back wet from having been caught in the rain.”

An excerpt from the walking tour prepared by the Brooklyn Historical Society says that Wright’s legacy attracted many of the black artists that would settle in the neighborhood decades later, like Spike Lee, Wesley Snipes, Erykah Badu, Mos Def and many others. But the author’s masterpiece influence is felt far beyond Fort Greene.