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Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Laurence Dunbar

1872–1906

United States

About Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Laurence Dunbar was born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1872 to Joshua and Matilda Dunbar, who were both enslaved in Kentucky before the Civil War. The legacy of their struggles—bondage, survival, and the hard-fought journey to freedom—shapes much of his writing.

Recurring themes

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