Toni Morrison, literary giant, dead at age of 88
Print Edition
Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, a pioneer and giant of modern literature whose imaginative power in 鈥淏eloved,鈥 鈥淪ong of Solomon鈥 and other works transformed American letters by dramatizing the pursuit of freedom within the boundaries of race, has died aged 88.
Publisher Alfred A. Knopf announced that Morrison died Monday night at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. Morrison鈥檚 family said she died after a brief illness.
鈥淭oni Morrison passed away peacefully last night surrounded by family and friends,鈥 the family said. 鈥淪he was an extremely devoted mother, grandmother, and aunt who reveled in being with her family and friends. The consummate writer who treasured the written word, whether her own, her students or others, she read voraciously and was most at home when writing.鈥
Few authors rose in such rapid, spectacular style. She was nearly 40 when her first novel, 鈥淭he Bluest Eye,鈥 was published. By her early 60s, after just six novels, she had become the first black woman to receive the Nobel literature prize, praised in 1993 by the Swedish academy for her 鈥渧isionary force鈥 and for her delving into 鈥渓anguage itself, a language she wants to liberate鈥 from categories of black and white.
Morrison helped raise American multiculturalism to the world stage and helped uncensor her country鈥檚 past, unearthing the lives of the unknown and the unwanted, those she would call 鈥渢he unfree at the heart of the democratic experiment.鈥
History 鈥 black history 鈥 was a trove of poetry, tragedy, love, adventure and good old gossip, whether in small-town Ohio in 鈥淪ula鈥 or big-city Harlem in 鈥淛azz.鈥 She regarded race as a social construct and through language founded the better world her characters suffered to attain.
Winner of the 1988 Pulitzer for 鈥淏eloved,鈥 she was one of the book world鈥檚 most regal presences, with her expanse of graying dreadlocks; her dark, discerning eyes; and warm, theatrical voice, able to lower itself to a mysterious growl or rise to a humorous falsetto.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
