About
Toni Morrison, born Chloe Ardelia Wofford in Lorain, Ohio, is a major figure in American literature. After studying at Howard and Cornell, she became the first Black woman senior editor at Random House, where she championed African American literature. Her first novel, The Bluest Eye (1970), explores the effects of racism on identity. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved (1987), inspired by the story of Margaret Garner. In 1993, she was the first African American woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. She taught at Princeton from 1989 to 2006 and received numerous honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
* 1931-02-18 — † 2019-08-05
Major works
- The Bluest Eye (1970)novel
- Song of Solomon (1977)novel
- Beloved (1987)novel
- Jazz (1992)novel
- Playing in the Dark (1992)essay
Key milestones
- 1988Wins the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved.
- 1993First African American woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.
- 2012Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Themes
African American identitySlavery and its aftermathRace and racismMemory and historyCommunity and family
Sources: nobelprize.org · sites.prh.com · britannica.com
