Zora Neale Hurston
Cheryl R. HopsonExplores the creativity and life of anthropologist, folklorist and novelist Zora Neale Hurston.
This book explores the creativity and life of Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), the most published African American woman writer of the first half of the twentieth century. A Barnard-educated anthropologist, folklorist and novelist, Hurston, as Cheryl R. Hopson relates, was a woman on the move. Her life spanned a period of rapid technological change and advancement, and one of entrenched racial stratification. Hopson foregrounds how the Jim Crow legal system in the United States formed the material backdrop to Hurston’s life and work, and explores Hurston’s signature novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, as well as her lesser-known works. This biography is an insightful and illuminating look at a remarkable figure, and chronicles the rediscovery of Hurston years after her death.
Explores the creativity and life of anthropologist, folklorist and novelist Zora Neale Hurston.
This book explores the creativity and life of Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), the most published African American woman writer of the first half of the twentieth century. A Barnard-educated anthropologist, folklorist and novelist, Hurston, as Cheryl R. Hopson relates, was a woman on the move. Her life spanned a period of rapid technological change and advancement, and one of entrenched racial stratification. Hopson foregrounds how the Jim Crow legal system in the United States formed the material backdrop to Hurston’s life and work, and explores Hurston’s signature novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, as well as her lesser-known works. This biography is an insightful and illuminating look at a remarkable figure, and chronicles the rediscovery of Hurston years after her death.
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Part biography, part literary criticism, the work is an excellent introduction to Hurston and her writings . . . Hopson argues that her works are as relevant as ever.
'Library Journal
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Enhanced by 22 photos from the University of Florida’s Hurston Papers, Hopson’s biographical-literary analysis will appeal to a wide readership, from Hurston fans to those who know little about her adventurous life and cultural legacy. Highly recommended.
'Choice
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Cheryl R. Hopson’s biography explores Zora Neale Hurston’s life and works, emphasising her remarkable achievements, whilst recognising some of her inherent contradictions . . . an engaging read.
'the Morning Star
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A bright, energetic retelling of Hurston’s life and career.
'Bookmunch
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Cheryl R. Hopson’s careful curation of Zora Neale Hurston’s writing life distinguishes this biography from other canonical texts on Hurston. Hopson situates the reader in the cultural and historic milieu of the first half of the twentieth century and gives readers new reasons to continue reading Hurston in this century. Hopson’s close reading of Hurston’s texts and life make this biography a must-read for those new to Hurston.
'Seretha Williams, Chair and Professor of English , Augusta University
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Supported by extensive archival research, rich photographic illustrations, and a nuanced explication of key and lesser-known works in Zora Neale Hurston’s oeuvre, this new biography contextualizes a unique and penetrating voice that never fell silent with the passage of time. Hopson meticulously maps the vexed and circuitous routes of discrimination, humiliation, and empire along which Hurston traveled to capture and preserve the rhythms of a Black vernacular landscape that formed the central motif of her craft and represented her greatest love.
'Andrew Rosa, Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies, Western Kentucky University
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[A] perceptive and succinct biography.
'The New York Sun
Introduction
1 Childhood
2 Opportunity
3 Curiosity
4 On Fiction and Folklore
5 Stormy Weather
6 ‘Featherbed Resistance’
7 The Dulling Final Years
Epilogue: ‘I’m Not Done Yet’
References
Select Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Cheryl R. Hopson is Professor of English, Roanoke College. She has published essays on Alice Walker, Rebecca Walker and Zora Neale Hurston, and is the author of the poetry collection In Case You Get This (2023).