Toni Morrison 43165 225303305 2008-07-13T00:01:05Z TonyW 67647 mv births/living people cats. {{Infobox Writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox Writer/doc]] --> | name = Toni Morrison <!-- do not add image icons such as nobel peace, see [[:Template:Infobox writer]] --> | awards = {{awd|[[Nobel Prize in Literature]]|1993}} <!-- do not add image icons such as nobel peace, see [[:Template:Infobox writer]] --> | image =replace this image female.svg | caption = | birthdate = {{birth date and age|1931|2|18|mf=y}} | birthplace = [[Ohio]], [[United States]] | deathdate = | deathplace = | occupation = Novelist, editor | genre = [[African American literature]] | movement = | notableworks = ''Beloved'', ''Song of Solomon'' | influences = [[James Baldwin (writer)|James Baldwin]], [[William Faulkner]], [[Doris Lessing]], [[Herman Melville]] | influenced = [[bell hooks]] <!-- lowercase spelling is correct -->, [[Octavia Butler]] | signature = TMorrisonsignature.JPG }} {{for|the Louisiana politician|deLesseps Morrison, Jr.}} '''Toni Morrison''' (born '''Chloe Anthony Wofford''' on [[February 18]], [[1931]]), is a [[Nobel Prize in Literature|Nobel Prize]]-winning [[United States|American]] author, editor, and professor. Her novels are known for their [[epic poetry|epic]] themes, vivid dialogue, and richly detailed black characters; among the best known are her novels ''[[The Bluest Eye]]'', ''[[Song of Solomon (novel)|Song of Solomon]]'', and ''[[Beloved (novel)|Beloved]]'', which won the [[Pulitzer Prize for Fiction]] in 1988. In 2001 she was named one of the "30 Most Powerful Women in America" by ''[[Ladies' Home Journal]]''. ==Early life and career== Toni Morrison was born in [[Lorain, Ohio]], the second of four children in a working-class family.<ref name="wofford">{{cite news| last = Dreifus| first = Claudia| coauthors =| title = CHLOE WOFFORD Talks about TONI MORRISON| work =| pages =| language =| publisher = ''The New York Times''| date = September 11, 1994| url = http://www.en.utexas.edu/amlit/amlitprivate/texts/morrison1.html| accessdate = 2007-06-11 }}</ref> As a child, Morrison read constantly; among her favorite authors were [[Jane Austen]] and [[Leo Tolstoy]]. Morrison's father, George Wofford, a welder by trade, told her numerous folktales of the black community (a method of storytelling that would later work its way into Morrison's writings).<ref name="nola">{{cite news| last = Larson| first = Susan| coauthors =| title = Awaiting Toni Morrison| work =| pages =| language =| publisher = ''The Times-Picayune''| date = April 11, 2007| url = http://www.nola.com/living/t-p/index.ssf?/base/living-8/1176268522309540.xml&coll=1| accessdate = 2007-06-11 }}</ref> In 1949 Morrison entered [[Howard University]] to study English. While there she began going by the nickname of "Toni," which derives from her middle name, Anthony.<ref name="wofford"/><ref name="cbs">{{cite news| last =| first =| coauthors =| title = Toni Morrison: Words Of Love| work =| pages =| language =| publisher = CBS News| date = April 4, 2004| url = http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/02/sunday/main610053.shtml| accessdate = 2007-06-11 }}</ref> Morrison received a B.A. in English from Howard in 1953, then earned a [[Master of Arts (postgraduate)|Master of Arts]] degree, also in English, from [[Cornell University]] in 1955, for which she wrote a thesis on suicide in the works of [[William Faulkner]] and [[Virginia Woolf]].<ref name="nobel"/> After graduation, Morrison became an English instructor at [[Texas Southern University]] in [[Houston, Texas]] (from 1955-57) then returned to Howard to teach English. She became a member of [[Alpha Kappa Alpha]] Sorority, Inc. In 1958 she married Harold Morrison. They had two children, Harold and Slade, and divorced in 1964. After the divorce she moved to [[Syracuse, New York]], where she worked as a textbook editor. Eighteen months later she went to work as an editor at the [[New York City]] headquarters of [[Random House]].<ref name="nobel">{{cite news| last = Grimes| first = William| coauthors =| title = Toni Morrison Is '93 Winner Of Nobel Prize in Literature| work =| pages =| language =| publisher = ''The New York Times''| date = October 8, 1993| url = http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/01/11/home/28957.html| accessdate = 2007-06-11 }}</ref> As an editor, Morrison played an important role in bringing [[African American literature]] into the mainstream. She edited books by such black authors as [[Toni Cade Bambara]], [[Angela Davis]] and [[Gayl Jones]].<ref name="paradise">{{cite news| last = Verdelle| first = A. J.| coauthors =| title = Paradise found: a talk with Toni Morrison about her new novel - Nobel Laureate's new book, 'Paradise' - Interview| work =| pages =| language =| publisher = ''Essence'' Magazine| date = Feb, 1998| url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1264/is_n10_v28/ai_20187690/pg_2| accessdate = 2007-06-11 }}</ref> ==Writing career== Morrison began writing fiction as part of an informal group of poets and writers at Howard University who met to discuss their work. She went to one meeting with a short story about a black girl who longed to have blue eyes. The story later evolved into her first novel, ''[[The Bluest Eye]]'' (1970), which she wrote while raising two children and teaching at Howard.<ref name="nobel"/> In 2000 it was chosen as a selection for [[Oprah's Book Club]].<ref>[http://www.oprah.com/obc/pastbooks/toni_morrison/obc_pb_20000427.jhtml "The Bluest Eye" at Oprah's Book Club official page]</ref> In 1973 her novel ''[[Sula (novel)|Sula]]'' was nominated for the [[National Book Award]]. Her third novel, ''[[Song of Solomon (novel)|Song of Solomon]]'' (1977), brought her national attention. The book was a main selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club, the first novel by a black writer to be so chosen since [[Richard Wright (author)|Richard Wright]]'s ''[[Native Son]]'' in 1940. It won the [[National Book Critics Circle Award]]. In 1988 Morrison's novel ''[[Beloved (novel)|Beloved]]'' became a critical success. When the novel failed to win the National Book Award as well as the National Book Critics Circle Award, a number of writers protested the omission.<ref name="nobel"/><ref name="glitters">{{cite news| last = Menand| first = Louis| coauthors =| title = All That Glitters - Literature's global economy| work =| pages =| language =| publisher = ''The New Yorker''| date = December 26, 2005| url = http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/12/26/051226crbo_books| accessdate = 2007-06-11 }}</ref> Shortly afterward, it won the [[Pulitzer Prize for fiction]]. ''Beloved'' was adapted into the 1998 [[Beloved (movie)|film of the same name]] starring [[Oprah Winfrey]] and [[Danny Glover]]. Morrison later used Margaret Garner's life story again in an opera, ''[[Margaret Garner (opera)|Margaret Garner]]'', with music by [[Richard Danielpour]]. In May 2006, The ''[[New York Times]]'' Book Review named ''Beloved'' the best [[American literature|American]] novel published in the previous twenty five years. In 1993 Morrison was awarded the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]], the first black woman to win it.<ref name="cbs"/> Her citation reads: Toni Morrison, "who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality." Shortly afterwards, a fire destroyed her Rockland County, New York home.<ref name="wofford"/><ref>{{cite news| last =| first =| coauthors =| title = New York Home of Toni Morrison Burns| work =| pages =| language =| publisher = ''The New York Times''| date = December 26, 1993| url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CEED8173BF935A15751C1A965958260| accessdate = 2007-06-11 }}</ref> Although her novels typically concentrate on black women, Morrison does not identify her works as feminist.<ref name="salon">{{cite news| last = Jaffrey| first = Zia| coauthors =| title = The Salon Interview with Toni Morrison| work =| pages =| language =| publisher = Salon.com| date = February 2, 1998| url = http://www.salon.com/books/int/1998/02/cov_si_02int.html| accessdate = 2007-06-11 }}</ref> She has stated that she thinks "it's off-putting to some readers, who may feel that I'm involved in writing some kind of feminist tract. I don't subscribe to patriarchy, and I don't think it should be substituted with matriarchy. I think it's a question of equitable access, and opening doors to all sorts of things."<ref name="salon"/> In addition to her novels, Morrison has also co-written books for children with her youngest son, Slade Morrison, who works as a painter and musician. ==Later life== Morrison taught English at two branches of the [[State University of New York]]. In 1984 she was appointed to an [[Albert Schweitzer]] chair at the [[University at Albany, The State University of New York]]. From 1989 until her retirement in 2006, Morrison held the [[Robert F. Goheen]] Chair in the Humanities at [[Princeton University]].<ref name="nola"/> Though based in the Creative Writing Program, Morrison did not regularly offer writing workshops to students after the late 1990s, a fact that earned her some criticism. Rather, she has conceived and developed the prestigious ''Princeton Atelier'', a program that brings together talented students with critically acclaimed, world-famous artists. Together the students and the artists produce works of art that are presented to the public after a semester of collaboration. In her position at Princeton, Morrison used her insights to encourage not merely new and emerging writers, but artists working to develop new forms of art through interdisciplinary play and cooperation. At its 1979 commencement ceremonies, [[Barnard College]] awarded her its highest honor, the [[List of Barnard College people Recipients of the Medal of Distinction|Barnard Medal of Distinction]]. [[University of Oxford|Oxford University]] awarded her an [[Honorary degree|honorary]] [[Doctor of Letters]] degree in June 2005. In November 2006, Morrison visited the [[Louvre Museum]] in [[Paris]] as the second in its "Grand Invité" program to guest-curate a month-long series of events across the arts on the theme of "The Foreigner's Home." She currently holds a place on the editorial board of ''[[The Nation (U.S. periodical)|The Nation]]'' magazine. ===Politics=== Morrison caused a stir when she called [[Bill Clinton]] "the first Black President;" saying "Clinton displays almost every [[Wiktionary:trope|trope]] of blackness: single-parent household, born poor, working-class, saxophone-playing, McDonald's-and-junk-food-loving boy from [[Arkansas]]."<ref>[http://ontology.buffalo.edu/smith/clinton/morrison.html "Clinton as the first black president,"] ''[[The New Yorker]]'', October 1998, accessed February 16, 2007.</ref> This opinion was both adopted by Clinton supporters like the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)<ref>[http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200110/NAT20011001e.html "Congressional Black Caucus,"] ''[[CNSNews.com]]'', October 2001.</ref> and ridiculed by critics. It should be noted that, in the context of the 2008 Democratic Primary campaign, during which Clinton made some remarks that were construed as unsympathetic to African-Americans, Morrison revisited her statement. Morrison stated to Salon magazine: "People misunderstood that phrase. I was deploring the way in which President Clinton was being treated, vis-à-vis the sex scandal that was surrounding him. I said he was being treated like a black on the street, already guilty, already a perp. I have no idea what his real instincts are, in terms of race."<ref>Sachs, Andrea.[http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1738303,00.html "10 Questions for Toni Morrison"], ''Time'', May 7, 2008.</ref> However, in the 2008 presidential race, Morrison has endorsed Senator [[Barack Obama]] over [[Senator Hillary Clinton]].<ref>Alexander, Elizabeth.[http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/01/28/first_black_president/index.html "Our first black president?, It's worth remembering the context of Toni Morrison's famous phrase about Bill Clinton so we can retire it, now that Barack Obama is a contender."], ''Salon.com'', January 28, 2008.</ref> ==Works== [[Image:Beloved by Toni Morrison.jpg|thumb|180px|Toni Morrison, on jacket of her Pulitzer Prize winning novel ''Beloved.'']] ===Novels=== * ''[[The Bluest Eye]]'' (1970; ISBN 0-452-28706-5) * ''[[Sula (novel)|Sula]]'' (1974; ISBN 1-4000-3343-8) * ''[[Song of Solomon (novel)|Song of Solomon]]'' (1977; ISBN 1-4000-3342-X) * ''[[Tar Baby (novel)|Tar Baby]]'' (1981; ISBN 1-4000-3344-6) * ''[[Beloved (novel)|Beloved]]'' (1987; ISBN 1-4000-3341-1) * ''[[Jazz (novel)|Jazz]]'' (1992; ISBN 1-4000-7621-8) * ''[[Paradise (novel)|Paradise]]'' (1999; ISBN 0-679-43374-0) * ''[[Love (Toni Morrison novel)|Love]]'' (2003; ISBN 0-375-40944-0) * ''[[A Mercy (novel)|A Mercy]]'' (2008) ===Children's literature (with Slade Morrison)=== * ''The Big Box'' (2002) * ''The Book of Mean People'' (2002) ===Short stories=== * "[[Recitatif]]" (1983) ===Plays=== * ''[[Dreaming Emmett]]'' (performed 1986) ===Libretti=== * ''[[Margaret Garner (opera)|Margaret Garner]]'' (first performed May 2005) ===Non-fiction=== * ''The Black Book'' (1974) * ''Birth of a Nation'hood'' (co-editor) (1997) * ''Playing in the Dark'' (1992) * ''Remember:The Journey to School Integration'' (April 2004) ===Articles=== * "This Amazing, Troubling Book" (An analysis of ''The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' by Mark Twain) ==Awards and Nominations== ===Awards=== * [[Nobel Prize for Literature]] 1993 * [[Pulitzer Prize for Fiction]] 1988 for "[[Beloved (novel)|Beloved]]" * [[Anisfield-Wolf Book Award]] 1988 for "[[Beloved (novel)|Beloved]]" ===Nominations=== * [[Grammy Awards]] 2008 Best Spoken Word Album for Children - "Who's Got Game? The Ant or the Grasshopper? The Lion or the Mouse? Poppy or the Snake?" ==See also== * [[American Literature]] * [[African American literature]] * {{Literature Portal}} ==References== {{Reflist|2}} ==External links== {{Wikiquote}} * [http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3214 Literary Encyclopedia biography] * [http://voices.cla.umn.edu/vg/Bios/entries/morrison_toni.html Voices from the Gaps biography] * [http://www.nobel.se/literature/laureates/1993/ The Nobel Prize in Literature 1993] * [http://wiredforbooks.org/tonimorrison/ 1987 audio interview by Don Swaim of CBS Radio, 31 min 2 s, RealAudio at Wired for Books.org] * [http://www.visionaryproject.com/NVLPmemberTier/visionariesT1/VisionaryPages/2004visionaries/MorrisonToni/index.asp Toni Morrison biography and video interview excerpts by The National Visionary Leadership Project] {{Toni Morrison}} {{Nobel Prize in Literature Laureates 1976-2000}} <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] --> {{Persondata |NAME= Morrison, Toni |ALTERNATIVE NAMES= |SHORT DESCRIPTION= American novelist |DATE OF BIRTH= [[February 18]], [[1931]] |PLACE OF BIRTH= [[Lorain, Ohio]] |DATE OF DEATH= |PLACE OF DEATH= }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, Toni}} [[Category:1931 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:African American academics]] [[Category:African American writers]] [[Category:African American novelists]] [[Category:American novelists]] [[Category:American women writers]] [[Category:American feminist writers]] [[Category:American children's writers]] [[Category:Opera librettists]] [[Category:Nobel laureates in Literature]] [[Category:Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winners]] [[Category:Members of The American Academy of Arts and Letters]] [[Category:Princeton University faculty]] [[Category:Cornell University alumni]] [[Category:Howard University alumni]] [[Category:Honorary Fellows of St Hilda's College, Oxford]] [[Category:Alpha Kappa Alpha]] [[Category:Ohio writers]] [[Category:People from Houston, Texas]] [[Category:People from Syracuse, New York]] [[Category:People from New York City]] [[Category:People from Lorain, Ohio]] [[am:ቶኒ ሞሪሰን]] [[ar:توني موريسون]] [[bn:টনি মরিসন]] [[bg:Тони Морисън]] [[ca:Toni Morrison]] [[cs:Toni Morrisonová]] [[da:Toni Morrison]] [[de:Toni Morrison]] [[et:Toni Morrison]] [[el:Τόνι Μόρρισον]] [[es:Toni Morrison]] [[eo:Toni Morrison]] [[eu:Toni Morrison]] [[fa:تونی موریسون]] [[fr:Toni Morrison]] [[gd:Toni Morrison]] [[gl:Toni Morrison]] [[hi:टोनी मारिसन]] [[hr:Toni Morrison]] [[id:Toni Morrison]] [[is:Toni Morrison]] [[it:Toni Morrison]] [[he:טוני מוריסון]] [[ka:ტონი მორისონი]] [[sw:Toni Morrison]] [[hu:Toni Morrison]] [[nl:Toni Morrison]] [[ja:トニ・モリソン]] [[no:Toni Morrison]] [[oc:Toni Morrison]] [[pl:Toni Morrison]] [[pt:Toni Morrison]] [[ru:Моррисон, Тони]] [[simple:Toni Morrison]] [[sk:Toni Morrisonová]] [[sr:Тони Морисон]] [[sh:Toni Morrison]] [[fi:Toni Morrison]] [[sv:Toni Morrison]] [[ta:டொனி மொறிசன்]] [[vi:Toni Morrison]] [[tr:Toni Morrison]] [[zh:托妮·莫里森]]