Facts about Famous Black Authors of the 20th Century

1. 05

   Zora Neale Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, published in 1937, experienced a major revival after Alice Walker championed her work in the 1970s.

   Famous Black Authors of the 20th CenturyJun 7shareliteraturefictionhistory
2. 04

   James Baldwin's essay collection The Fire Next Time, published in 1963, became a defining text of the American civil rights movement.

   Famous Black Authors of the 20th CenturyJun 7shareliteraturecivilrights20thcentury
3. 03

   Langston Hughes, a central figure among famous Black authors of the 20th century, was a leading voice of the Harlem Renaissance and published his first poetry collection in 1926.

   Famous Black Authors of the 20th CenturyJun 7shareliteraturepoetryharlem
4. 02

   Richard Wright's novel Native Son, published in 1940, became one of the earliest works by a Black author to be a main selection of the Book of the Month Club.

   Famous Black Authors of the 20th CenturyJun 7shareliteraturepublishinghistory
5. 01

   Toni Morrison became the first Black American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, receiving the honor in 1993.

   Famous Black Authors of the 20th CenturyJun 7shareliteratureawardshistory