African American Women Authors
Although there are many African American women authors who have published excellent works there are a few that have not only written books worth reading, but made strides both for women and black women in the publishing field. These include Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Pauline Hopkins and Maya Angelou. When discussing the breakthroughs and the success of black female writers these women are the top names that come up time and again.
Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins was born in 1859. During a difficult time for African American women she began a career first as a successful actress, working in productions that she had written, and later as stenographer and lecturer. This change of a career occurred because she felt it would be the best way for her to be able to pursue her true calling; that of a writer. She was a very talented writer winning her first award at fifteen. During her life she published four novels, a play, short stories and several nonfiction pieces. Her most famous piece was a book called Contending Forces; A Romance Illustrative of Negro Life North and South. This was no simple story but a heart wrenching tale of the exploitation of blacks. It tells of the Klan, their hatred and violent acts, of lynching, the interracial relationships that went hidden and discrimination both in general and when it came to trying to find employment. She used a particular technique to tell her stories by constructing fictional situations to tell of the true strife that those around her lived with every day. Pauline Hopkins was also a founding member and editor of magazine that was written specially for those minority women.
Maya Angelou, born in 1928, spent here early working life as a cook, waitress, madam and dancer. Then over time her career included playwright, singer, actress, author, editor and civil rights activist. Her most famous work, titled I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, was published in 1970 as her autobiography. It tells her story, including the tragedies of her life, up until the birth of her son when she was only sixteen. She was involved in many groups over the years, not only in the writing, producing and directing of both theatre and television but also in those organizations that promoted women and African American issues.
Toni Morrison, born in 1931, became a Nobel Prize-winning author who also won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. She began her writing career while still in university. Her first book was published in 1970. The book, The Bluest Eye, was based on a short story she had written years before about a black girl who wants to have blue eyes. Her novels are usually about African American women. It is this element that has been at the root of her success. Ms. Morrison was the first African American women to win a Nobel Prize for Literature.
When discussing African American women authors Alice Walker, born in 1944, is a must to include on the list. She is known not only as a brilliant author but as a feminist and civil rights activist. She challenged America’s laws and attitudes when she married a Jewish lawyer, becoming one half of the first inter-racial couple to legally marry in the state of Mississippi. This caused the two of them years of threats, harassment and brought the Ku Klux Klan into their lives. The marriage did not last past thirteen years. She started her writing at university where she wrote poetry. Later she became an editor at a women’s magazine. Her most famous work is The Color Purple which won her a Pulitzer Prize in Literature in 1983; making her the first African American women to win. The Color Purple won her several awards and was later turned into a movie and afterward a play. There was some criticism of her work as she tended to portray African American males as weak, abusive and malicious.
Many African American women authors self publish to help promote their works. This is true of modern times as well as in the 1800s and early 1900s. Currently this practice is being followed by many who believe that it is time to take control of their own works and get their stories out to the public. If they cannot find a publisher quickly, or they are not comfortable handing the process over to someone else, these talented women are nonetheless ensuring their works get read.
