Zora Hurston was one of the world’s famous writers and anthropologists. Hurston’s short stories, novels, and plays often represented African American life in the South. Her services in anthropology examined black folklore. Hurston inspired many writers and permanently fixed her place in history as one of the leading female authors of the 20th century. 

History of Zora Neale Hurston

On January 15, 1891, Zora Neale Hurston was born in Notasulga, Alabama. Both of her parents had been enslaved. At a young age, her family moved to Eatonville, Florida where they grew. Eventually, her father came to be one of the town’s earliest mayors. In 1917, Hurston registered at Morgan College, where she achieved her high school degree.

She then went to Howard University and received an associate’s degree. Hurston was a bright student and engaged in student government. She also co-founded the school’s famous newspaper, The Hilltop. In 1925, Hurston got a scholarship to Barnard College and completed her BA degree three years later in anthropology. During her student life in New York City, other famous writers such as Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen were the friends of Hurston. Together, the group of writers associated the black cultural renaissance which held in Harlem. 

During her life, Hurston devoted herself to support and study black culture. She went to Haiti and Jamaica to learn the rituals of the African diaspora. Her verdicts were also covered in many newspapers everywhere in the United States. Hurston often combined her research into her fictional work.

As a writer, Hurston started publishing her short stories as early as 1920. Sadly, her work was overlooked by the mainstream literary readers for years. However, she got an audience among African Americans. In 1935, she published Mules and Men. She later cooperated with Langston Hughes to produce the play, Mule Bone. She published three books from 1934 to 1939. Her one of her most famous works was Their Eyes were Watching God. The fictional story chronicled the violent life of Janie Crawford. Hurston defeated literary norms by concentrating her work on the existence of a black woman.  

Hurston was not only a writer, but she also devoted her life to teaching others about the arts. In 1934, she founded a school of dramatic arts at Bethune-Cookman College. After five years she served as a drama teacher at the North Carolina College for Negroes at Durham. Although Hurston ultimately earned appreciation for her works, she was often underpaid. Therefore, she lived in debt and poverty. 

Death of Zora Neale Hurston

After all her achievements, Hurston strived financially and personally throughout her last decade. She kept writing, but she had trouble getting her work published. After years of writing, Hurston had to be admitted to the St. Lucie County Welfare Home as she was incapable of taking care of herself. The once-famous writer and folklorist Hurston died miserably and lonely because of heart disease on January 28, 1960, and was buried anonymously in Fort Pierce, Florida grave. 

Legacy

In 1972, author Alice Walker, another big talent supported to reestablish interest in Hurston and her work and discovered her grave and built a marker. Although Hurston’s work was not publicly known during her life, Walker helped introduce Hurston to a new generation of students and inspired publishers to print new editions of Hurston’s long-out-of-print novels and other writings. She stands amongst the best writers of the 20th century. Her work continues to help writers all over the world.

Quotes of Zora Neale Hurston

1. There are years that ask questions and years that answer.
2. Nothing that God ever made is the same thing to more than one person. That is natural.
3. Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.
4. The present was an egg laid by the past that had the future inside its shell.
5. No matter how far a person can go the horizon is still way beyond you.
6. It seems to me that trying to live without friends is like milking a bear to get cream for your morning coffee. It is a whole lot of trouble, and then not worth much after you get it.
7. Love, I find, is like singing. Everybody can do enough to satisfy themselves, though it may not impress the neighbors as being very much.
8. It’s a funny thing, the less people have to live for, the less nerve they have to risk losing nothing.
9. It would be against all nature for all the Negroes to be either at the bottom, top, or in between. We will go where the internal drive carries us like everybody else. It is up to the individual.
10. If you want that good feeling that comes from doing things for other folks then you have to pay for it in abuse and misunderstanding.

Famous Books of Zora Neale Hurston

Four novels and more than 50 published short stories, plays, and essays were to her credit. Some of her famous writings are: 

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

The main character was named Janie Crawford an African American woman in her early forties, narrates her life events and journey to her best friend, Pheoby, through an extended flashback. So that Pheoby can tell Janie’s tale to the nosy community on her side. Her life has three main phases corresponding to her weddings to three very unconventional men. 

The Complete Stories by Zora Neale Hurston

This was the milestone collection of Zora Neale Hurston’s short fiction, most of which published only in literary magazines during her life that unveils the growth of one of the most important African American writers. Spanning her career from 1921 to 1955, these stories assure Hurston’s great variety and discover themes that recur in her longer fiction. With deep language and description, the stories in this collection not only showed Hurston’s progress and interests as a writer but also gave a precious observation of the mind and creativity of the author of the acclaimed novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. 

Sweat by Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston’s short story “Sweat” was first published in Fire!!, a legendary literary magazine of the Harlem Renaissance, whose sole concern arose in November 1926. It was the tale of a woman dealing with an untrustworthy husband who takes her money, before getting his comeuppance.

These are all what we have for you about 20^th century famous writer Zore Naela Hurston. We hope her life and writings will be inspirational for you. If you have any query you can ask anytime. We will be pleased to reply back.