Cyrus Colter has often been called an old-fashioned and melodramatic writer--the latter because he believes that fiction must express feeling and emotion, and the former because he believes a work of fiction must follow certain guidelines. As a writer, he emphasizes the fact that the black experience is multifaceted, showing a wide range of Afro-Americans, including the middle class--a dimension of black life which is underrepresented in fiction. Regardless of the strata of black society he portrays, he stresses the black man's humanity, not his color. He emphasizes the deterministic forces in society and the need for compassion, for it is only through individual relationships and commitment that mankind can reach its potential.

One of two children, Cyrus Colter was born in Noblesville, Indiana, to James Alexander Colter and Ethel Marietta Bassett Colter. His father engaged in various areas of work: insurance salesman, actor, musician, and regional director...