“This man should be known!” Jazz composer, pianist, doctor, author, and native son, Rudolph Fisher, is the most extraordinary black American man no one has heard of, and Ray Rickman intends to fix that. On Thursday, Rickman and fellow Stages of Freedom co-founder Robb Dimmick, spoke at the opening of Rudolph Fisher: Rhode Island’s Gift to the Harlem Renaissance, curated by Stages and on display now at the Providence Athenaeum.
A novelist, short story writer, dramatist, and jazz musician, Fisher’s contributions to Black literature are inestimable. His output in the small window of time he had on earth (he passed at 37), is remarkable, instructive and has much to teach us about race relations, Black brilliance, and excellence. With a mind capable of straddling the worlds of literature and biology (his two majors at Brown) and the capacity to see how the two intersect, Fisher forged a unique career in letters and medicine at a time when both were challenging for people of color. His novel The Conjure-Man Dies introduced a totally new literary form: the Black detective novel.
(Fisher graduated with honors from Classical High in 1915 and earned both a Bachelor and Master of Arts from Brown University, also with honors. The summer after college he toured with Paul Robeson as a band. He later graduated with honors from the Howard University medical school where he studied radiology. This man’s resumé is astounding.)
Mr. Dimmick elaborated on Fisher’s legacy “. . . was one of the first African American doctors to work with radiation and sadly dies from exposure to radiation at the age of 37. Though his life was short, his accomplishments are extraordinary and broad. He perfects the short story genre and the two novels he writes are landmarks, particularly the second “The Conjure-Man Dies” in which he invents the Black detective novel, and those who continue to write in that genre stand on his shoulders.”
Mr. Rickman has some plans, and he knows how to get things done. He would like to see a permanent exhibit installed at Classical High School; the John Hay Library should honor this illustrious Brown alum with an exhibit; the city should post a street plaque posted in some prominent location. Rickman urged the gathering, “This man should be known . . . in this space . . . in this town. I could talk about Rudolph Fisher all day!”
My personal thanks to Stephanie Ovoian, head of research and library services, for helping me take these photos. We got to talking and neither of us had ever heard of Rudolph Fisher either.
So I echo Mr Rickman’s sentiments, “This man should be known!”
Exhibit up through January 26, Providence Athenaeum, bottom floor, 251 Benefit Street, (directions)
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“The Conjure-Man Dies” has to be one of the best book titles ever. This copy managed to retain its dust cover.
This copy of The Caduceus is on loan from the Classical High School archives. In a frame to left is an account of “Fisher’s Providence Education.” What an impressive young man.
The exhibit is nicely curated and presented. The library is open to the public. Go check it out.