1956

In February and March, Wright works on the manuscript of his book on Spain. While he's working on the manuscript, he works on the garden at Ailly. He refuses to comment on the Algerian war for independence while in France, but when in other countries he allows himself gentle criticisms. 19 March, the English edition of Wright's report on the Bandung Conference is published by World Publishers under the title of The Color Curtain. He continues to work on his book on Spain. The First Congress of Negro Artists and Writers convenes in Paris in September. Presence Africaine (including Wright) sponsored the conference, but Wright grows suspicious that the group has been infiltrated by the French government in the form of anti-nationalist Africans. At the conference, Wright speaks of the complications that face African intellectuals. He and Ellen visit Hamburg, Germany, where he delivers the lecture, "The Psychological Reactions of Oppressed Peoples." He attends a conference of the Congress for Cultural Freedom in London, then visits Stockholm in late November on the occasion of The Outsider's Swedish publication. Wright returns to Paris in December, where he begins working on a novel set in Mississippi.

1957

20 January, Aunt Maggie dies in Jackson, Mississippi. Wright's mother moves to Chicago in June to live with Leon Alan. In February, Pagan Spain appears. It fails to sell well, despite favorable reviews. As spring approaches, Wright works on a new novel, and in the spring he and Ellen visit Italy. In July, Wright travels to West Germany to interview African-American servicemen. On 15 October, Doubleday publishes a collection of Wright's lectures entitled White Man, Listen!.

1958

Wright finishes The Long Dream, his novel about Mississippi, and begins to work on its sequel, "Island of Hallucinations," which is set in France. When he attempts to renew his passport, he is hassled by the American embassy, who make him sign a statement admitting his former communist associations. In the meantime, the Parisian black community is torn with infighting and suspicion, including the rumor that Wright is an agent of the FBI or CIA. Wright himself suspects he is the target of harassment by U.S. government agents. Despite these hassles, Wright attends meetings of the Congress for Cultural Freedom and seminars in American literature sponsored by the American Cultural Center in Paris. He joins Sarte and de Beauvoir in criticizing de Gaulle's government. When The Long Dream is published by Doubleday in October, it receives poor and sometimes hostile reviews, and it does not sell well. Wright's mother, in Chicago with Leon Alan, falls seriously ill, and Wright borrows money from Paul Reynolds, his agent, to send to his brother. Wright's editor, Edward Aswell, dies 5 November. Wright contemplates moving to England.

1959

On 14 January, Wright's mother dies. In February, Wright sends Reynolds the manuscript for "Island of Hallucinations." He meets with Martin Luther King, Jr., who is on his way to India. Wright's new editor, Timothy Seldes, asks for substantial revisions on "Island of Hallucinations." Wright shelves the project and never completes it. In the face of financial difficulty, failing health, and his novel's roughness, Wright continues to withdraw from public activities. Doubleday offers Wright an advance of $2500 on a book about French Africa, but the American Society for African Culture refuses his request for an additional $7500, causing Wright to suspect U.S. Government meddling. In preparation for moving to England, Wright sells the farm at Ailly. In the spring, his play Daddy Goodness opens in Paris. In June, Wright is afflicted with amoebic dysentary. Ellen and Julia move to England and settle in London, while Julia attends the University of Cambridge. Wright, still in France, begins writing Haiku. In September, on a visit to England, Wright finds himself harrassed by British passport officials. After his friend George Padmore dies, Wright returns to England for the funeral, but his request for a resident visa is denied without any explanation. Back in Paris, he sells the home on rue Monsieur le Prince and moves into a two room apartment on rue Regis. He finally shakes the dysentary, but continues to suffer intestinal problems. Best American Stories of 1958 includes Wright's "Big Black Good Man."

1960

A stage adaptation of The Long Dream opens on Broadway 17 February to poor reviews and closes within a week. The French translation of The Long Dream, while doing better than its English version, does not sell well enough to satisfy Wright. Wright drives to a medical conference in Holland with his gastroenterologist, Victor Schwartzmann, and the doctor's father. Of his completed Haiku, Wright prepares 811 for publication. Continuing his withdrawal from public activities, Wright refuses an invitation from the Congress for Cultural Freedom to attend conferences on Tolstoy in Venice and New Delhi. [His suspicions about the group have since been shown to be well-founded: the group was heavily funded by the CIA.] In June, he records interviews about his work for broadcast on French radio. He begins a new novel, "A Father's Law," during the summer, but on returning to Paris in September, he falls ill. Daughter Julia plans to study at the Sorbonne, and she visits her father before returning to England. Greets Arna Bontemps in Paris. On 8 November, Wright delivers a lecture on black artists and intellectuals at the American Church, and he accuses the American government of being the source of disunity and infighting. He prepares Eight Men, a collection of short stories, which World Publishers will publish in 1961. On 26 November, he receives Langston Hughes at his home, but later in the day he checks into the Eugene Gibez clinic for diagnostic examinations. Two days later, at eleven p.m. on 28 November, Wright dies. The cause of death is listed as heart attack. On the third of December, Wright is cremated along with a copy of Black Boy. His ashes remain at the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris.