News at Eleven: The irony of course was that his father,

whom Langston [Hughes] referred to as "Our father who art in Mexico," may have left America but in his mind and values he would always be essentially American, which is to say obsessed with money greed and success. He was a total capitalist and despite his experience of exploitation and poverty had no moral dilemma whatsoever about exploiting the poor of Mexico and becoming quite the black "jefe," or the landlord of a slum housing estate. Langston couldn't stand him. And so of course when he asked Langston what it was he intended to do and Langston replied, be a writer, his father immediately gave him an account book and told him: "Here, you want to write, write this. Go collect my rent, boy."

from MR Zine: Trance (Langston Hughes: In Translation)

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