Early Years
Zora Neale Hurston was born in Notasulga, Alabama in 1891 and grew up in the all-black town of Eatonville, Florida. At an early age, she developed a love of books and storytelling, and she later attended Howard University and Barnard College, graduating in 1928 with a degree in anthropology. Hurston's experience at Barnard with Franz Boas was formative in her later works in anthropology and literature, and she went on to pursue a master's degree in anthropology at Columbia University.
Career
Hurston was a prolific playwright and essayist and her works helped to shape the Harlem Renaissance and its legacy. Her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) was one of the first novels to be published by an African American writer and it has become an American classic. She was also a consultant on the black experience for Paramount Studios, and she wrote for various magazines, newspapers, and literary publications.
Education Zora Neale Hurston was born in Notasulga, Alabama, and grew up in Eatonville, Florida. She attended Howard University and Barnard College, graduating in 1928 with a degree in anthropology. Hurston studied under Franz Boas at Barnard, who taught her to look at African American culture from a scientific perspective. This experience was formative in her later works in anthropology and literature. Hurston went on to pursue a master's degree in anthropology at Columbia University and her fieldwork in the South helped her to refine her writing style and develop her unique perspective.
Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural period in the 1920s and 1930s that saw a flowering of African American art, music, and literature in New York City. Hurston was a central figure in the movement, and her writing often used black vernacular and folklore to provide insight into African American culture. Her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God was one of the first novels to be published by an African American writer and it has become an American classic. She was also a prolific playwright and essayist, and her works helped to shape the Harlem Renaissance and its legacy.
Major Works Zora Neale Hurston's major works include Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), Mules and Men (1935), and her autobiography, Dust Tracks on a Road (1942). She also wrote the play Mule Bone (1930-1931) and is credited with a number of short stories, essays, and articles. Hurston was a prolific writer, and her works have been collected and anthologized in a number of publications. Her writings are still relevant today, and her legacy lives on in the work of other African American writers and thinkers.
Accomplishments
Throughout her life, Hurston made a number of major accomplishments, including:
- Graduating with a degree in anthropology from Barnard College
- Pursuing a master's degree in anthropology at Columbia University
- Writing her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)
- Writing her autobiography Dust Tracks on a Road (1942)
- Writing the play Mule Bone (1930-1931)
- Writing for various magazines, newspapers, and literary publications
