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ZORA NEALE HURSTON 
"Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to 'jump at de sun.' We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground."
Zora Neale Hurston was born in Notasulga, in Macon County on January 7, 1891, although some accounts erroneously state that she was born in Florida, some also say that she was born in 1901. She was the fifth of eight children born to John and Lucy Hurston. Shortly after her birth, she moved to Eastonville, Florida which was the first black incorporated municipality in the United States. When Zora was thirteen years old, her mother died. Later that year, her father took her out of school and sent her to look after her brother's children. She was a restless teenager and at the age of sixteen, she left home and joined a traveling theater group and later went into domestic work. At the age of 26, the woman for whom Zora worked arranged for her to attend high school at Morgan Academy (now Morgan State University) in Baltimore. In June of 1918, she received her high school diploma. In 1918, Zora began to study at Howard prep school, and then in 1919, she joined Howard University where she stayed until 1924, earning just 2 credits during her stay and graduating with just a two year associates degree. It was during this time that her writing career began when "John Redding Goes To Sea", was published in a campus magazine. In 1925, she moved to New York just as the Harlem Renaissance began to reach it's height. It was at this time that her writing began to find some popularity. She won a contest in Opportunity with "Spunk" and with her play "Color Struck". One of the judges was Fannie Hurst who would hire Zora as a secretary, even though she couldn't type. The founder of Barnard College, Annie Nathan Meyer, found a scholarship for Hurston, and she began to study anthropology under Franz Boaz. In 1926, she had a number of short stories published and then in 1927, she used a six-month grant to return to Florida to collect African-American folklore. In May of 1927, she married her long time boyfriend, Herbert Sheen. Unfortunately, the marriage only lasted for eight months before Zora filed for divorce. She continued to publish her short stories in various publications. Her stories included "Muttsy", "Sweat" and "The First One". In 1927, she began to receive patronage from Mrs. Rufus Osgood Mason who supported her work on the condition that she did not publish anything. In 1928, at the age of 37, she received her Bachelors of Arts from Barnard. It was only after cutting herself of from Mrs. Mason's patronage that she began publishing her work again and entered the most successful writing period of her life. In addition to collaborating with Langston Hughes on the play "Mule Bone", she wrote "The Fiery Chariot", "Jonah's Gourd Vine" and "Mules and Men" to some critical acclaim. In 1937, she published her best known work, "Their Eyes Were Watching God" which was inspired by her relationship with "her perfect love". Despite publishing several more books, her popularity waned and in 1948, her last book entitled "Seraph on the Suwanee" was published. Zora was falsely accused of molesting a ten year old boy, and although the case was groundless, she became depressed and suicidal. She continued to have stories published in various publications for a number of years, however, she began to move from job to job, working at various times as a reporter, a maid, a librarian and a substitute teacher. In 1959, she suffered a debilitating stroke and entered the St. Lucie County Welfare Home where she died the following year from heart decease. Zora Neale Hurston was buried in an unmarked grave in the segregated Garden of Heavenly Rest in Fort Pierce, Florida, with her work almost forgotten. In 1973, Alice Walker discovered Zora's grave and marked it. In 1975, she published "In Search of Zora Neale Hurston" which started a revival of her work. Thirty years after her death, "Their Eyes Were Watching God" sold over a million copies and all of her major works were republished. Links To Other Zora Neale Hurston Internet Resources: Classic Notes - Zora Neale Hurston. The African America Registry - Zora Neale Hurston, folklorist with style. Gale - Black History Month - Zora Neale Hurston. About - Zora Neale Hurston. I am Zora. SIGN UP TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER If you would like us to keep you updated with changes and improvements to thatsalabama.com, please enter your email address here: If you would like to support thatsalabama.com with a donation via paypal, please click on this button: |
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