ZORA NEALE HURSTON

 

Gotta Love that attitude, and Zora!

Happy Heavenly Birthday!

Today in Mighty Girl history, African American author, anthropologist, and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston was born in 1891. Hurston, however, might well have argued with this date, as she often claimed her birth year to be 1901, when, at the age of ten, she received a gift of books that she said opened her mind to literature and instigated her literary “birth.”

Hurston grew up in Eatonville, Florida, an all-black town formed after the Emancipation Proclamation. This gave her a unique viewpoint on the African-American experience in America that clearly comes through in her writing. Hurston was a flamboyant figure in the Harlem Renaissance in the late 1920s. Later, she used her training in anthropology to collect and retell traditional folk stories from the many regions and countries, including the American South, Honduras, Jamaica, and Haiti.

Although she wrote published more than fifty short stories, plays, and essays as well as four novels, including her best-known novel, "Their Eyes Were Watching God," Hurston’s dialectical style fell out of favor with the literary world. Hurston might have fallen into complete obscurity, were it not for the work of another African American writer, Alice Walker, whose 1975 Ms. Magazine article "In Search of Zora Neale Hurston," revived interest in Hurston’s incredible body of writing. The reemergence of Hurston's work coincided with the emergence of other female authors such as Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and Walker herself, whose writing focused on the African American experience.

Fortunately, Hurston's true genius is now well-recognized and "Their Eyes Were Watching God" is considered an American literary classic. Through her life and legacy, she demonstrated the truth of her famous assertion: "A thing is mighty big when time and distance cannot shrink it."

For an excellent biography on Hurston for readers 9 to 14, we recommend, "Zora!: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston," at http://www.amightygirl.com/zora

Hurston is also among the women featured in the unique tribute to trailblazing women for ages 7 to 12, "Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World," at http://www.amightygirl.com/amelia-to-zora

To learn more about Hurston's famous novel, "Their Eyes Were Watching God," visit http://amzn.to/1DiY76H

Fans of this literary classic may also appreciate this t-shirt for teens and adults featuring cover art from the novel at http://www.amightygirl.com/their-eyes-were-watching-god-t...

And, to encourage your children's interest in creative writing, visit our blog post on "Fantastic Adventures and Amazing Tales: Encouraging Creative Writing and Storytelling" for a selection of writing-oriented books, toys, and activities for both children and teens at http://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=4937