Toni Morrison

@Novelists, Family and Personal Life ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Toni Morrison is a multiple award winning author whose best known works include the novels ‘Beloved’ and ‘The Bluest Eye’ African American Authors African Americans Black Authors Nobel Laureates In Literature American Cornell University Howard University Writers Novelists Aquarius Celebrities Toni Morrison, born Chloe Ardelia Wofford, is a novelist and professor who has won several prestigious awards for her literary works. As the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Pulitzer Prize among many other awards, she is one of the most brilliant authors in the genre of African American literature. The seeds for her future profession were sown by her father who told her stories and fables of the African culture which influenced her writings. Primarily a professor by profession, she began writing as a part of an informal group of writers and poets, and published her first novel ‘The Bluest Eye’. The critical reviews she got for her debut motivated her to write more. She developed a style of writing that is characterized by epic themes, descriptive dialogues and rich depictions of Black American culture. She went on to write several other novels that were critically appreciated and won her numerous awards. Her novel, ‘Song of Solomon’ was the first novel by a black writer to be chosen the main selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club in almost four decades. She was already famous by the time the novel ‘Beloved’ was published but this book took her popularity to greater heights. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and was later made into a film of the same name.

Personal Details

Birthday: February 18, 1931 Nationality: American Famous: Novelists, African American Authors, African Americans, Black Authors, Nobel Laureates In Literature, Cornell University, Howard University, Writers, Novelists Spouses: Harold Morrison (m. 1958–1964) Known as: Chloe Ardelia Wofford Childrens: Harold Ford Morrison, Slade Morrison Universities: Cornell University,Howard University Howard University Cornell University Information Detail Birthday February 18, 1931 Nationality American Famous Novelists, African American Authors, African Americans, Black Authors, Nobel Laureates In Literature, Cornell University, Howard University, Writers, Novelists Spouses Harold Morrison (m. 1958–1964) Known as Chloe Ardelia Wofford Childrens Harold Ford Morrison, Slade Morrison Universities Cornell University,Howard University Howard University Cornell University Notable Alumnis Cornell University Howard University Birth Place Lorain, Ohio Gender Female Father George Wofford Mother Ramah Net Worth $24 million as of May 26,2017 Sun Sign Aquarius Born in Lorain, Ohio Famous as American novelist

Lorain, Ohio

Toni Morrison born at Unsplash Birth Place

She married Harold Morrison, a Jamaican architect and fellow faculty member at Howard University, in 1958. They had two sons and later divorced in 1964. Her son Slade worked with her on several books and literary projects. Unsplash Personal Life

She was born as one of the four children of Ramah and George Wofford. She hailed from a working class family. Her father was a welder who also worked at other odd jobs while her mother was a domestic worker. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Her family instilled in her a love for reading and storytelling; Jane Austen and Leo Tolstoy were among her favourite authors. She was a good student and graduated with honours from Lorain High School in 1949. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

She enrolled at Howard University and received her B.A in English in 1953. She completed her Master of Arts in English from Cornell University in 1955. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

She was appointed as an English instructor at Texas Southern University in 1955. She worked there for two years before returning to Howard in 1957 to teach English. Unsplash Career

By 1964, she was married with two children. However, her marriage broke up and she moved to New York to work as a textbook editor. Later she found work as an editor at the New York City headquarters of Random House. Unsplash Career

While working as an editor she played a vital role in bringing black literature into the mainstream by editing books by prominent black authors like Henry Dumas, Angela Davis and Gayl Jones. Unsplash Career

She joined an informal group of writers and poets who held meetings where they discussed their work. She wrote a short story for one such discussion that revolved around a black girl who wished to have blue eyes. She expanded this story into her debut novel, ‘The Bluest Eye’ in 1970. Unsplash Career

Her next novel ‘Sula’, published in 1973 was about the friendship between two girls in a black neighbourhood and how their friendship evolves and changes over time. Unsplash Career

Her 1977 novel ‘Song of Solomon’ is one of her major novels. The book not only won the National Books Critics Award, but was also cited by the Swedish Academy in awarding her the Nobel Prize in Literature. Unsplash Major Works

Her novel ‘Beloved’ inspired by the life of the escaped slave Margaret Garner was a critical success. The novel was later adapted into a movie starring Oprah Winfrey. Unsplash Major Works

Information	Detail
Birthday	February 18, 1931
Nationality	American
Famous	Novelists, African American Authors, African Americans, Black Authors, Nobel Laureates In Literature, Cornell University, Howard University, Writers, Novelists
Spouses	Harold Morrison (m. 1958–1964)
Known as	Chloe Ardelia Wofford
Childrens	Harold Ford Morrison, Slade Morrison
Universities	Cornell University,Howard University Howard University Cornell University
Notable Alumnis	Cornell University Howard University
Birth Place	Lorain, Ohio
Gender	Female
Father	George Wofford
Mother	Ramah
Net Worth	$24 million as of May 26,2017
Sun Sign	Aquarius
Born in	Lorain, Ohio
Famous as	American novelist

Toni Morrison

American

Feb 18, 1931

Biography

Personal Details

Lorain, Ohio