WITH OSCAR LEWIS' CONCEPT OF A "CULTURE OF POVERTY" AS A FRAME OF REFERENCE, THIS PAPER EXPLORES THE NATURE OF POVERTY AMONG AMERICAN NEGROES AS PORTRAYED IN NOVELS, AUTOBIOGRAPHIES, AND SOCIOLOGICAL STUDIES. THE POOR WHO LIVE IN THIS "CULTURE OF POVERTY" LOSE THEIR PLACE IN SOCIETY AND, OVER GENERATIONS, FAIL TO BECOME EFFECTIVE PARTICIPANTS IN GROUPS OF INSTITUTIONS BEYOND THEIR NUCLEAR FAMILIES OR SLUM. IN THE PAPER LOWER-CLASS NEGROES MAKING THE TRANSITION FROM A RURAL (FORMERLY SLAVE) BACKGROUND TO A MODERN URBAN SETTING, AND WHOSE FORMER TRADITIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS HAVE BEEN SHATTERED (AND NEW ONES NOT DEVELOPED), ARE DISCUSSED IN TERMS OF PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, ECONOMIC LIFE, FAMILY LIFE, RELATIONSHIP TO INSTITUTIONS (EDUCATIONAL, MEDICAL, SOCIAL, GOVERNMENT AND LEGAL, NEGRO MOVEMENTS), AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (AF)