Toni Morrison, Trailblazing Writer Of ‘Beloved,’ Has Died At Age 88

Aug 06, 2019 by apost team

America has lost one of its literary icons—the Nobel Prize-winning writer Toni Morrison has passed away at the age of 88.

Morrison was known for her work that explored the Black experience in America, including the seminal 1987 novel "Beloved," for which she won the Pulitzer Prize. "Beloved" was later made into a movie in 1998 starring Oprah Winfrey, who later developed a close bond with Morrison. At a dinner late last year, Winfrey sang the praises of her idol and friend.

“It’s impossible to actually imagine the American literary landscape without a Toni Morrison,” Winfrey said according to AP News. “She is our conscience, she is our seer, she is our truth-teller.”

apost.com

The book became a must for high school reading lists across the nation, adding to her repertoire of other significant novels such as "The Bluest Eye," "Song of Solomon" and "Jazz." In total, she wrote 11 novels in addition to her poetry, essays, and children's books according to The New York Times.

Morrison was highly-acclaimed for her work, garnering prizes in addition to the Pulitzer, like the Nobel Prize for Literature of which she was the first Black woman to do so. President Barack Obama also awarded her the prized Presidential Award of Freedom in 2012. 

Her publisher, Knopf, confirmed in a tweet posted today that she had passed away on Monday, August 5. They also included a moving segment from her 1993 Nobel Lecture that read,

“We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives."

We say goodbye to a powerful and poignant voice in literature, rest in peace Toni Morrison. Which of her works is your favorite? Let us know and please pass on the news to others who might not know yet.