Toni Morrison, the prolific author of such classics as Beloved and Song of Solomon, died Monday night at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. She was 88 years old.
Morrison had an outsized influence on American letters for decades,
culminating in 1993 when she became the first African-American to
receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. Three years later, the National
Book Foundation awarded her the Medal of Distinguished Contribution to
American Letters. In 2012, President Barack Obama presented Morrison
with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Outside of her own writing, Morrison was known for her groundbreaking
contributions as an editor at Random House from 1967 to 1983. She was
the first African-American woman to hold an editorial position in the
company’s history, working with writers like Gayl Jones, Toni Cade
Bambara,and Angela Davis. Morrison also held teaching positions at
Howard University, Yale, Bard College, SUNY Purchase, Rutgers, and
Princeton.
In a statement, Morrison’s family said: “It is with profound sadness
we share that, following a short illness, our adored mother and
grandmother, Toni Morrison, passed away peacefully last night surrounded
by family and friends. She 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. Although her passing represents a tremendous loss, we are
grateful she had a long, well lived life.”
via https://lithub.com/toni-morrison-a-giant-of-american-letters-has-died-at-88/
Keine Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen