An Agony. As Now.

Amiri Baraka, also known as LeRoi Jones and Inamu Amear Baraka, was an American poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, and music critic. Baraka is most known for his poetry and plays. His career spanned over 50 years, from the 1960s until his death. He is most closely associated with the Black Arts movement, which he helped found in 1964. While his influence is undeniable, Baraka’s militantism, homophobia, misogyny, and anti-Semitism have drawn wide condemnation.

“An Agony. As Now.” was published under the name LeRoi Jones in The Dead Lecturer: Poems (1964), Baraka’s second poetry collection. 1964 was a pivotal year for Baraka. Shortly after this collection, Baraka became radicalized, leaving his family and moving to Harlem to pursue activism and art. One of Baraka’s most well-known poems, this poem previews questions of race, survival, and violent revolution that would become prominent aspects of Baraka’s later work. This poem acts as a metaphor for the experiences of Black men in mid-20th century America.

Poet Biography

Amiri Baraka was born Everett Leroy Jones on October 7, 1934, in Newark, New Jersey. His father was a postal supervisor and lift operator, and his mother was a social worker.

For university, he won a scholarship and initially attended Rutgers University before transferring to Howard University.