Contents
Toni Morrison
Writing Beloved and winning the Nobel Prize in Literature.
The Bluest Eye · Song of Solomon
- Born
- 18 February 1931
- Birthplace
- Lorain, Ohio, USA
- Died
- 5 August 2019
More people
Toni Morrison
An American novelist and editor whose fiction explores Black life, memory and the enduring consequences of racism.
Early life
Ohio childhood
Born Chloe Wofford into a working-class family.
Literary education
Studied at Howard University and earned a master’s degree at Cornell.
Career
- 1950s
University teaching
Taught English before entering publishing.
- 1960s
Editorial work
Became an editor at Random House.
- 1970
First novel
Published The Bluest Eye.
- 1993
Nobel recognition
Received the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Selected work
The Bluest Eye
A child’s longing exposes destructive standards of beauty.
Song of Solomon
A family history unfolds through a young man’s search for identity.
Beloved
A formerly enslaved woman confronts an unresolved past.
Beyond work
Family
Raised two sons.
Writing together
Collaborated with her son Slade on children’s books.
Sources & photo credit
Biographical reference ↗Nobel Prize: Morrison’s narrative achievement ↗Photo: John Mathew Smith ( celebrity-photos.com ). CC BY-SA 2.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
