Born as
Chloe Anthony Wofford
Feb.18, 1931
Lorain, Ohio.
Noted for:
Novels: The Bluest Eye, Sula, Song of Soloman, Tar Baby
Most famous work: Beloved
Some honors: Nobel Prize in Literature, Pulitzer Prize in fiction for Beloved
Fun fact: Because many people couldn’t pronounce her first name correctly, she changed it to Toni, short for her middle name.
Where it started
Morrison and her family moved to Ohio to escape the racism in the South and to find better opportunities. Her father was a hardworking man who worked three jobs at once for more than a decade long. Her mother was a “church-going” woman who sang in the choir. While at home, Morrison heard many stories and songs about Southern black folklore.
Her education
Morrison was very gifted. She attended the prestigious Howard University where she majored in English. While there, she joined a repertory company and toured the South. It was then she saw firsthand how blacks were living, and why her family escaped by moving north. Morrison graduated from HU with a B.A. in English, then went on to get her master’s degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.
Her accomplishments and work background
Morrison has achieved many honors for her work. She has worked as a professor, an editor, and a novelist. Her honors are: Albert Schweitzer Professor of Humanities at the State University of New York in Albany(1984), Robert F. Goheen Professor in the Council of Humanities at Princeton University (1987), Pulitzer Prize in fiction for Beloved ( 1988), Nobel Prize in Literature (1993).
What others think
“I think she is a powerful writer who creates illusions in her work.”
-Adolphus Thompson, 20, a third-year political science student from Miami
Happy Birthday Toni Morrison!