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Arts & Entertainment
Toni Morrison:
novelist
Toni Morrison's lyrical writing style and ambitious subject matter thrust African-American writers to the forefront of the American literary consciousness. Her strong female characters, often imbued with mystical talents, teach us about ourselves almost despite ourselves. In addition to building a fiercely loyal readership, Morrison's efforts have netted her the 1993 Nobel Prize in literature, a Pulitzer Prize (for "Beloved," 1987) and a National Book Award (for "Song of Solomon," 1977). Morrison also dedicates herself to teaching literature -- most recently at Princeton University. "I take teaching as seriously as I do my writing," she said as she accepted the position at the Ivy League school.
FULL NAME
Toni Morrison was born Chloe Anthony Wofford. She changed her name in college to Toni after she found people had a hard time pronouncing her first name. Toni is a shortened version of her middle name.
BORN
February 18, 1931 in Lorain, Ohio
EDUCATION
Bachelor's degree in English from Howard University, 1953; master's degree from Cornell University, 1955.
CAREER
After receiving her master's degree from Cornell University, Morrison was offered a teaching position at Texas Southern University. She taught introductory English, and in 1957 returned to Howard University as a faculty member. In 1964, Morrison went to work for Random House Publishing in Syracuse, New York. During her tenure as an associate editor, Morrison began experimenting with her own writing. By 1967 she was a senior editor with the company and she was shopping her own novel, "The Bluest Eye," to various publishers. It was published in 1970 to much critical praise. She began teaching English at the State University of New York at Purchase in 1971 and began work on her second novel, "Sula." From 1976-1977 she wrote her third novel, "Song of Solomon," while she was a visiting lecturer at Yale University. In 1981 her fourth novel, "Tar Baby," was published. In 1983 Morrison left Random House after nearly 20 years, and the next year she was named Albert Schweitzer professor of the humanities at the State University of New York in Albany. Her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "Beloved" was published in 1987 -- the same year she was named the Robert F. Goheen professor in the Council of Humanities at Princeton University. She most recently published her novels "Jazz," 1992, and "Paradise," 1998.
AWARDS
Morrison's novel "Song of Solomon," published in 1977, won the National Book Award and the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Award. The writer was also appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the National Council of the Arts. In 1988 her novel "Beloved" won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and in 1993 Morrison became the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
PERSONAL
Toni Morrison married architect Harold Morrison in 1958, and the couple had two sons, Harold Ford and Slade Kevin. They divorced in 1964.
WEBSITE
http://www.usatoday.com/life/enter/books/oprah/o003.htm
