Mules and men, tell my horse, dust tracks on a road, selected articles the library of america, 75 by zora neale hurston and cheryl wall feb 1, 1995. Zora neale hurston, their eyes were watching god hurston s novel about a womans search for identity is by far her bestknown work. Zora neale hurston was born on january 7, 1903, in eatonville, florida, to reverend john and lucy hurston. But it was her unique childhood in an allblack town that shaped her ideas, which defied the focus on racial uplift popular among figures such as w. Zora neale hurston january 7, 1891 january 28, 1960 was an influential author of africanamerican literature and anthropologist, who portrayed racial struggles in the early 20th century american south, and published research on haitian voodoo. Timeline of zora neale hurston the life of zora neale hurston.
Born to a baptist minister, tenant farmer, carpenter, and local government official and a school teacher. Zora neale hurston became a fixture of new york citys harlem renaissance, due to her novels like their eyes were watching god and. Zora neale hurston will forever be remembered as one of the greatest writers of the harlem renaissance. Creating a rich and varied backlog of work, she would come to create a number of books that were extremely well received through her career. The fiction writeranthropologistfolklorist died in a segregated florida hospital in. Recordings, manuscripts, photographs, and ephemera in the archive of folk culture and other divisions of the library of congress manuscript reading room. Timeline of zora neale hurston fort pierce, fl official website. Zora neale hurston s bestknown book, their eyes were watching god, was criticized by some african american authors and leaders because it did not emphasize and critique racial oppression. She portrayed racial struggles in the early1900s american south and published research on hoodoo. An american folklorist, as well as being a highly regarded author, the writer zora neale hurston was well known for being a well established voice during her time.
Her novel their eyes were watching god is widely considered to be a classic, as it recounts the spiritual journey of a black southern woman in inventive and beautiful detail. The most popular of her four novels is their eyes were watching god, published in 1937. She was also an accomplished folklorist, and the american folklife center at the library of congress has a number of collections associated with her work, including these songs that she sang herself for herbert halpert. Hurston worked as an assistant to one of the most successful writers of the era, fannie hurst. Penniless and alone at the time of her death, friends from far and wide helped pay for her funeral. Probably the most significant collector and interpreter of southern, african american culture, zora neale hurston 18911960 is the dominant female voice of the harlem renaissance era.
Africanamerican folklore was zora neale hurston s first love. Most of all, i fell in love with the language in this book. Pages businesses medianews company timeline videos zora neale hurston. Zora neale hurston january 7, 1891 to january 28,1960 was an american folklorist, anthropologist, and author. Her essays and short stories appear frequently in literary journals. I had a high school english teacher who didnt even know who toni morrison was, so he certainly didnt believe in reading diverse literature from women like zora neale hurston.
Her notable novels included mules and men, their eyes were watching god, and moses, man of the mountain. Fascinating facts about zora neale hurston literary. Hurston was the fifth of eight children, and while she was still a toddler, her. Incorporated in 1887, it is the oldest such town in the united states. Zora and me imagines zora neale hurston as a girl the. She spent some time collecting folklore and stories from latin america, the caribbean and the south, and brought them out in her book mules and men. Soon after her birth she moved to eatonville, florida which always remained her home throughout her life. Zora neale hurstons novel their eyes were watching god is a famous harlem renaissance novel that examines race and gender issues through the. From the 1930s through the 1960s, zora neale hurston was the most prolific and accomplished black woman writer in america.
Zora neale hurston biography life, family, childhood. Zora neale hurston, american folklorist and writer associated with the harlem renaissance who celebrated the african american culture of the rural south. She is the fifth of eight children born to john and lucy potts hurston. Zora neale hurston timeline of important dates shmoop.
Theres not really any way to spoil this novel, as so much is revealed in the first chapter. In 1927, zora neale hurston went to plateau, alabama, just outside mobile, to interview eightysixyearold cudjo lewis. An anthropologist, essayist, theatrical producer, and novelist, hurston was a renaissance woman. Chronology of hurstons life zora neale hurston digital archive. Zora neale hurston, of course, was one of the most talented, intelligent, and colorful american writers of the 20th century. It was unmarked but it was found and marked in 1973. Born in alabama in 1891, zora neale hurston became a fixture of new york citys harlem renaissance, thanks to novels like their eyes were watching god and shorter works like sweat. Over the past 50 years, zora neale hurston has been restored from nearly forgotten to a canonical writer, in no small part due to the efforts of alice walker and toni morrison. Zora neale hurston was and is one of the most prominent african american writers of the 19th and 20th centuries. T his collection of novelist and anthropologist zora neale hurston s short stories among them eight lost harlem renaissance tales from the. Hurstons first novel, jonahs gourd vine, is published.
The hurston family moves to eatonville, an incorporated, selfgoverned, allblack town north of orlando, florida. She was also an outstanding folklorist and anthropologist who recorded cultural history, as illustrated by her mules and men. She was criticized within the black community for taking funds from whites to support her writing. Zora neale hurston born january 7, 1891 was one of. Her mother died later in 1904, and may be the reason she wrote about from 19191920, she attended howard university and ended up graduating with an associate degree. Of the millions of men, women, and children transported from africa to america as slaves, cudjo was then the only person alive to tell the story of this integral part of the nations history. Zora neale hurston born january 7, 1891 was one of the preeminent african american writers of the 20th century. This biography gives the details of this personalitys profile, childhood, life and timeline. Bertram lippincott writes to hurston asking if she has written a novel. Born in alabama, she wrote plays, short stories and essays apart from novels.
Zora neale hurstons bestknown work was published in 1937. No depression features zora neale hurston folklife today. Zora neale hurston books list of books by author zora. Alice walkers efforts to mark the grave of hurston, and the subsequent publication of the article in search of zora neale hurston in the ms magazine, in 1975, marked the beginning of the overwhelming posthumous recognition that zora neale hurston received years after her death. Zora neale hurston is considered one of the preeminent writers of twentiethcentury africanamerican literature. Today, her legacy endures through such efforts as the annual zora. During that thirtyyear period she published seven books, many short stories, magazine articles, and plays, and she gained a reputation as an outstanding folklorist and novelist gale learning. Zora s mother died when she was nine years old, and her father soon remarried. Born in alabama, she wrote plays, short stories and essays apart from novels, during the harlem renaissance period. It receives the anisfieldwolf book award for its take on race relations. New york ap sixty years after her death, the story of zora neale hurston is still not fully told. Eatonville was the united states first incorporated black township, her father and many other african americans were involved in the towns governance.
After her relationship with her stepmother rapidly declined, her father sent her to school in jacksonville, florida. The two met at opportunitys literary awards event in 1925, where hurston won numerous awards the role of employment was extremely controversial at the time due to the fact that hurston was black. In the 1920s she collected folktales, and they were published as every tongue got to confess in 2001. Collected in the late 1920s, every tongue got to confess is the third volume of folktales from the celebrated author of their eyes were watching god. Zora neale hurston 2499 words research paper example. Zora neale hurston was a wellknown american folklorist, anthropologist and author. She also wrote more than 50 short stories, plays, and essays.
Hurston was closely associated with the harlem renaissance and has influenced such writers as ralph ellison, toni morrison, gayle jones, alice walker, and toni cade bambara. Hurston was born on january 7, 1891, in notasulga, alabama. Hitting a straight lick with a crooked stick by zora neale. Zora neale hurston, acclaimed writer of the harlem renaissance, was maligned by many black leaders for writing in the colloquial voice of the black, rural. Zora neale hurston was born january 7, 1891 in notasulga, alabama. She had an interesting life, which she put into writing, with her own creative twist.
Zora and me is the first book not written by hurston that has been endorsed by the zora neale hurston trust, created in 2002 to manage the business of bringing hurston. Penniless and alone at the time of her death, her neighbors take up a collection to pay for her funeral. Zora neale hurston january 7, 1891 january 28, 1960 was an american author, anthropologist, and filmmaker. In addition, hurston was a noted folklorist and researcher, studying obeah in jamaica, and publishing her research. Their eyes were watching god, a novel which was controversial because it didnt fit easily into stereotypes of black stories. The story of janie and her lover tea cake is hailed as a feminist classic, and women from alice walker to oprah winfrey have identified it as one of the most important books theyve ever read. In may 1934, hurston published her first fulllength novel, jonahs gourd vine. Zora neale hurston was criticized for writing in the. Zora neale hurston was a novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist. Her most famous novel was their eyes were watching god, which was published in 1937. In her works, she celebrates her hometown, eatonville, as representative of the dignity and beauty of rural southern, africanamerican life and culture. Key events and dates in a zora neale hurston timeline, compiled by phds and masters from stanford. Z ora neale hurston, acclaimed writer of the harlem renaissance, was maligned by many black leaders for writing in the colloquial voice of the black, rural townspeople she grew up with in eatonville, florida. New book shares early stories written by zora neale hurston.
Zora neale hurston was born on january 7, 1891, in notasulga, alabama, to john hurston, a carpenter and baptist preacher, and lucy potts hurston, a former schoolteacher. Zora neale hurston was born on january 7, 1891 in notasulga, alabama to john hurston and lucy ann potts, who were both slaves. And, this book is driven by its characters and its language. Robert hemenways acclaimed biography, zora neale hurston 1977, continued the renewal of interest in the forgotten literary great. Hurston is buried in a grave in fort pierce florida. One of the seminal writers of the harlem renaissance, hurston is most known today for her novel their eyes were watching god and for her nonfiction works of black. Zora neale hurston plays for teachers expert resources. Discover book depositorys huge selection of zora neale hurston books online.
937 343 623 56 1389 1269 291 242 471 1341 924 1238 677 1177 1285 1401 120 616 497 657 457 206 1509 1381 390 512 12 544 661 841 479 978 939 1200 1238 711 791 681 1290 315