Zarateman

World-renowned for her poetic writing style and skill when communicating the Black American experience, Toni Morrison is one of the most prominent authors of modern literature. Yet, her path to fame was not without its hurdles. Born as Chloe Anthony Wofford on February 18, 1931, in Lorain, Ohio, she was exposed to racially motivated actions at an early age. At just two years old, the author’s life was jeopardized when landlords set her home on fire when the family was inside due to their inability to pay rent. As a testament to her faith, Morrison converted to Catholicism in junior high and was baptized under Saint Anthony of Padua, patron saint of recovering lost items. Interestingly, she adopted the nickname “Toni” after Saint Anthony. 

Her choice of patron saint is somewhat ironic, as Morrison was certainly not lost academically. A driven student, she joined her high school’s debate team, yearbook staff, and more. Morrison went on to study at Howard University and Cornell University, later working as a professor at numerous universities and serving as a fiction writer for Random House. Despite working for a publishing company, Morrison did not publish her first novel, The Bluest Eyes (1970), until she was thirty-nine. The book was met with critical acclaim, but it was her novel Beloved (1987) that won her international fame. Based on a true story in which an escaped slave kills her child rather than face recapture, the novel examines the Black American identity and the horrific extent to which enslavement affected families. Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize for the work and became the first African-American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993.

Even after achieving such commendations, Morrison continued to publish works. Through the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s, she wrote plays and co-authored numerous children’s books with her son, Slade Morrison. One such book, Remember: The Journey to School Integration (2004), reflects upon school desegregation using photographs from the era. In recognition of the book’s excellence, Morrison received the Coretta Scott King Award which is given to authors who demonstrate an appreciation for African American culture through children and teenage-oriented literature. 

Before she died in 2019, Morrison was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 by President Barack Obama. Yet, this impressive award is far from encapsulating her contributions to the literary world. Considering her timeless style and poignant rendering of the African American narrative, the author’s oeuvre will certainly leave an indelible mark on readers to come, as it has for decades.

Bibliography:

Alexander, Kerri Lee. “Biography: Toni Morrison.” National Women’s History Museum, 2019, https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/toni-morrison. Accessed 15 January 2024.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Toni Morrison | Biography, Books, Beloved, The Bluest Eye, & Facts.” Britannica, 5 January 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Toni-Morrison. Accessed 15 January 2024.