Zora

Zora Neale Hurston was confident, charismatic, and determined to be extraordinary. As a young woman, Hurston lived and wrote alongside such prominent authors as Langston Hughes and Alain Locke during the Harlem Renaissance. But unfortunately, despite writing the luminary work Their Eyes Were Watching God, she was always short of money. Though she took odd jobs as a housemaid and as the personal assistant to an actress, Zora often found herself in abject poverty. Through it all, Zora kept writing. And though none of her books sold more than a thousand copies while she was alive, she was rediscovered a decade later by a new generation of readers, who knew they had found an important voice of American Literature.

A biography of African American author Zora Neale Hurston.

In this biography, chronological chapters follow Zora Neale Hurston's family, upbringing, education, influences, and major works, placing these experiences within the context of American history. This biography of Zora Neale Hurston, one of the most influential African American writers of the 20th century and a central figure in the Harlem Renaissance, is primarily for students and will cover all of the major points of development in Hurston's life as well as her major publications. Hurston's impact extends beyond the literary world: she also left her mark as an anthropologist whose ethnographic work portrays the racial struggles during the early 20th century American South. This work includes a preface and narrative chapters that explore Hurston's literary influences and the personal relationships that were most formative to her life; the final chapter, "Why Zora Neale Hurston Matters," explores her cultural and historical significance, providing context to her writings and allowing readers a greater understanding of Hurston's life while critically examining her major writing.

This new biography takes into account the whole woman—not just the prolific author of such great works as Their Eyes Were Watching God , Moses, Man of the Mountain, Jonah's Gourd Vine, Mules and Men, as well as essays, folklore, short stories, and poetry—but the philosopher and the spiritual soul, examining how each is reflected in her career, fiction and nonfiction publications, social and political activity, and, ultimately, her death. When we ask what animated the woman who achieved all that she did, we must necessarily probe further. Not one of the other existing biographies discusses or analyzes Hurston's spirituality in any sustained sense, even though this spirituality played a significant role in her life and works. As author Deborah G. Plant shows, Zora Neale Hurston's ability to achieve and to endure all she did came from the courage of her convictions—a belief in self that was profoundly centered and anchored in spirituality.

Belina and Zora arrived back in Austria having lived more than forty years in South Africa, where a series of shocks rocked the normality of their lives: An armed robbery at their home, the killing of a friend's brother, car-jackings of friends and the rape of a client's pregnant daughter. On top, the sudden change of permanent residency, from one continent to another, wore heavily on body and soul. But however cumbersome the reintegration process into a different society had become, the city of Vienna had acknowledged striving for democratic coexistence with all its people. The initially different lifestyle might be tough, as one is thrown to the heap of jobless and receivers of social help, but then one is not left out in the bitter cold and one feels to be placed with one's feet upon familiar ground. Months of searching for an affordable flat is turning out to be a nightmare, as even accommodation in remote spots and in poor condition demands unreasonably high deposits. During that time they met Tommy, the gregarious owner of an Art Shop, who exhibits his father's paintings from the Holocaust experience. In discussions with him, Belina and Zora recall also the death of both their grandfathers, due to deadly blows by Nazi fanatics. After three months of flat searching, a friendly associate tells Zora to look outside Vienna and he finds an offer in the paper. Belina sells part of her jewelry needed for the deposit. With the public transport system, they reach Weidling, where an agent drives them to a building opening to a courtyard. The Bedsitter is small but has a separate kitchenette and a pleasant bathroom. The furnished flat has been renovated with modern materials and decorated with light coloured finishes. Zora signs the rental agreement. Belina and Zora, two individuals with strong personalities, had ongoing domestic fights since Belina gave up her chronic medication prescribed in South Africa. She cannot find her place and besides her irregular sleeping habits suffers from a nervous condition. She worries constantly about the remainder of her wardrobe she had to leave back in Athens, a generous large flat they had rented for three years when Zora had worked for three solo exhibitions for his paintings, shown in well-established galleries. But, due to economic circumstances, they have to leave their flat at short notice and return to Vienna. During his daily walks along the scenic Weidlingbach, Zora meets Albert, his virtual collocutor...

Traces the life of the Harlem Renaissance writer and folklorist, who worked to preserve the rich storytelling tradition of African-Americans in the South.

Zora Neale Hurston, one the first great African-American novelists, was a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance and an inspiration for future generations of writers. Widely studied in high school literature courses, her novels are admired for their depiction of Southern black culture and their strong female characters. Critical Companion to Zora Neale Hurston is a reliable and up-to-date resource for high school and college-level students, providing reliable information on Hurston's life and work. This new volume covers all her writings, including Their Eyes Were Watching God; her landmark works of folklore and anthropology, such as Mules and Men; and shorter works, such as her story The Gilded Six-Bits.

A Finalist for the 2019 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Biography “A complete pleasure to read.” —Lisa Page, Washington Post Novelist Zora Neale Hurston and poet Langston Hughes, two of America’s greatest writers, first met in New York City in 1925. Drawn to each other, they helped launch a radical journal, Fire!! Later, meeting by accident in Alabama, they became close as they traveled together—Hurston interviewing African Americans for folk stories, Hughes getting his first taste of the deep South. By illuminating their lives, work, competitiveness, and ambitions, Yuval Taylor savvily details how their friendship and literary collaborations dead-ended in acrimonious accusations.