Chapter 1: Parents and Children Robert Hayden

Robert Hayden (1913-1980)

Robert Hayden (Asa Bundy Sheffey) was born to a poor family in Detroit, Michigan, and adopted by working-class foster parents, whose name he took. Despite ongoing problems with his vision, Hayden excelled in school, eventually attending both Wayne State University and the University of Michigan. Much of his work deals with the African-American history and experience. To learn more about Hayden and African-American Poetry in general, see the African-American Poetry page. Hayden's volumes of poetry include Heart-Shape in the Dust (1940), The Lion and the Archer (1948), Figures of Time (1955), A Ballad of Remembrance (1962), Selected Poems (1966), Words in the Mourning Time (1970), Night Blooming Cereus (1972), Angle of Ascent (1975), and American Journal. His poems were collected in 1984 and his prose in 1985. Author Links Academy of American Poets: Robert Hayden This site offers basic biographical information on Hayden, as well as links to hypertexts and other sites featuring information on Hayden.

"O Daedalus, Fly Away Home" "Those Winter Sundays" Academy of American Poets: Robert Hayden

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