Passage IV

A Literary Challenge

[1] Dorothy West launched her literary journal Challenge in 1934 with just forty dollars. [2] Her goal was to revive the literary boom of the 1920s. Harlem Renaissance of which she had been apart. [3] West’s plan relied on using young, emerging African American writers. Because she hoped their fresh voices could take over the intellectual and cultural excitement of that era. [4] She saw Challenge as “an organ of the new voiced,” the place for new writers to shine. [5] Challenge’s first issue, which debuted in March 1934, ended up featuring both established and emerging writers. [6] West had decided that including a few well-known authors, such as Langston Hughes and Arna Bontemps, would attract more readers. [7] As planned, though, the issue really flashed its lights on unknown writers, many of whom, including the Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray, the feminist and poet, would become famous participants in the civil rights movement. (53)

West had planned for the journal to run quarterly. The second issue, however, did not circulate until September 1934—three months late—because she was unable to acquire the well-crafted writing she sought from young writers. West came to rely on “tried and true voices” rather than on the new authors they had intended to highlight.

From 1934 to 1937, Challenge appeared only on and off, and it was often criticized for being too conservative. In addition, the magazine struggled with funding. As a result, two issues were compiled but not published.

In 1937, in an attempt to save the magazine, West relaunched it under a different name with a new editor, Richard Wright, wanted New Challenge to be more progressive. His goal was to provide a forum for writers to express their political views and to promote increased social awareness.

One day, New Challenge did not survive. In fact, publication ceased after one issue because of financial difficulty. The Depression of the 1930s essentially ended both the Harlem Renaissance and West’s attempt to revive its spirit.