Toni Morrison

18 February 1931 – 5 August 2019

Toni Morrison was an American novelist and editor whose richly layered works explore the Black American experience. Best known for novels such as 'Beloved', 'Song of Solomon', and 'The Bluest Eye', she won the Pulitzer Prize and became the first African American woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993.

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Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Toni Morrison.

Life events

Born in Lorain, Ohio
18 February 1931

Born Chloe Ardelia Wofford into a working-class family.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Graduates from Howard University
1953

She earned a bachelor's degree in English, later completing a master's at Cornell.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Works as an editor at Random House
1967 – 1983

She became a senior editor, championing works by Black writers.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Publishes 'The Bluest Eye'
1970

Her debut novel examined the destructive effects of racism and ideals of beauty.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Publishes 'Song of Solomon'
1977

The novel won the National Book Critics Circle Award and brought her national prominence.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Publishes 'Beloved'
1987

The novel won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and became her most celebrated work.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature
10 December 1993

She became the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
29 May 2012

President Barack Obama presented her with the nation's highest civilian honor.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Dies in the Bronx, New York
5 August 2019

She died of complications from pneumonia at age 88.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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