Chester Himes
1909 - 1984
5
Quotes
Biography
Chester Himes was an African-American writer known for his hard-boiled detective novels and social commentary. Born in Missouri in 1909, Himes faced racial discrimination throughout his life, which greatly influenced his writing. He started his literary career while in prison, where he began crafting stories that exposed the harsh realities of black urban life in America. After his release, Himes moved to France, where he continued to write and found success, particularly with his Harlem Detectives series.
Famous Quotes (5)
1
If you start with a bang, you won't end with a whimper.
2
The cruelty of our justice is here made manifest—behold the prey of vice.
3
Violence is a personal necessity for the oppressed…It is not a strategy consciously devised. It is the deep, instinctive expression of a human being denied individuality.
4
Writers are desperate people and when they stop being desperate they stop being writers.
5
Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.