April 3, 1953. On this date Chester Himes left the United States for Europe, thinking a Black man might have an easier time in France than in New York. He joined a group of ex-patriates that included Richard Wright and James Baldwin.
He will always be remembered for his books about Harlem cops Coffin Ed Johnson and Gravedigger Jones.
I heard he quit writing books because the violence he wrote about was giving him nightmares!
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