News at Eleven: The fact that his dialect writing sold better

than his standard poetry "was a perfect example of the dilemma he was in," [Gene] Jarrett told IBD.

[Shelley Fisher] Fishkin ranks three of [Paul] Dunbar's works among the top American poems. They are: "We Wear the Mask," "An Ante-Bellum Sermon" and "When Malindy Sings."

Of the three, only "We Wear the Mask" was written in standard English. It tells readers: "We wear the mask that grins and lies. . . . With torn and bleeding hearts we smile."

from Investor's Business Daily: Paul Dunbar's Lasting Poetry

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