Discover the Literary Genius: Top 12 Fun Facts About Toni Morrison You Never Knew

1. Early Bird Writer

Neither a bird-watcher nor a coffee connoisseur, Toni Morrison's mornings brew-ed a literary storm: This literary queen rose with the sun, leashing her creativity in the break of dawn, and fitting in writing sessions at 5 am before her day job as a powerhouse editor at Random House.
Source => entrepreneur.com

2. Stamp of Honor

Going postal never looked so good: In 2022, Toni Morrison became the first African American woman to be honored on a Forever stamp by the United States Postal Service, featuring her portrait from a 1997 Time magazine photoshoot and unveiled at a ceremony held at Princeton University, where she taught for nearly two decades.
Source => nytimes.com

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3. From Pulitzer to the Big Screen

Before Oprah was giving away cars and Danny Glover was getting too old for this stuff: Toni Morrison's captivating novel "Beloved" scored a Pulitzer Prize in 1988 and later dazzled the silver screen with these very stars in the lead roles.
Source => usatoday.com

4. The Superhero of Literature

If Toni Morrison were a superhero, her power would be to teleport readers into the rich African American history with a dash of redemption and a sprinkle of poetic justice: Morrison, the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, wields her words like a mighty cape, painting unflinching portraits of American life in masterpieces like The Bluest Eye, Beloved, and A Mercy while imparting the equally potent plumb lines of integrity and redemption.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

5. The Margaret Garner Inspiration

Whoever said "love means never having to say you're sorry" never met Margaret Garner: The tragic inspiration behind Toni Morrison's novel "Beloved" was a mixed race woman who escaped slavery in 1856, crossing the frozen Ohio River with her family. Upon recapture, she killed one of her children and tried to kill the others to spare them a life of enslavement, drawing huge crowds in a controversial court case featuring abolitionist activists like Lucy Stone.
Source => scalar.lehigh.edu

6. The First Lady of Random House

Before she started a book club that Oprah only dreams of rivaling: Toni Morrison was the first black female editor in fiction at Random House in New York City during the late 1960s, where she brought Black literature into the limelight, championed authors like the late Henry Dumas, and spearheaded the editing of The Black Book, a then-risky but ultimately acclaimed anthology showcasing Black life in America throughout history.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

7. Queen of Literary Accolades

Step aside, Oprah's Book Club, Toni Morrison was the original queen of the literary scene: This trailblazing author was the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993 and collected a prestigious lineup of accolades, including the Pulitzer Prize, the Légion d'Honneur, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama himself.
Source => womensagenda.com.au

8. The Bookworm Thespian

Who says bookworms can't be thespians too? Toni Morrison didn't just break pages but also scorched stages: During her time at Howard University, she was an active member of the Howard Repertory Theatre, which took her on trips throughout the South, allowing her to experience black America up close and personal.
Source => findingdulcinea.com

9. Literary Matchmaker

Step aside, Oprah's Book Club: there was a time when Toni Morrison was not only writing groundbreaking novels, but she also played literary matchmaker by introducing the likes of Toni Cade Bambara, Muhammad Ali, and Angela Davis to the mainstream during her tenure as an editor at Penguin Random House. She's got an eagle eye not just for prose, but for important social moments too: Morrison compiled a series of images depicting the black experience in the US and published "The Black Book" in the 1970s, cementing her status as a key influencer in both the literary and historical realms by showcasing untold stories and giving voice to some of the most significant black figures of our time.
Source => pbs.org

10. Morrison's Playwright Debut

Hold onto your quills, Shakespeare! There's a new playwright in town – and she's none other than the legendary Toni Morrison: Making her international debut as a playwright, "Desdemona" first graced the stage in Vienna, May 2011, as a collaboration between Morrison, director Peter Sellars, and musician Rokia Traoré, and has trotted the globe, enchanting audiences at prestigious venues like London's Barbican Centre and UCLA's Freud Playhouse.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

11. Lullaby League to Literary Legend

From Lullaby League to Literary Legend: Toni Morrison's parents instilled a love of language in her through storytelling and singing traditional African-American folktales, later leading her to a lustrous writing career that saw her win the National Book Critics Circle Award, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and Nobel Prize in Literature, as well as becoming the first black female editor in fiction at Random House.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

12. Pre-Oprah's Book Club Touchdown

Before Oprah's Book Club was the Super Bowl of the literary world: Toni Morrison's "Song of Solomon," published in 1977, became the second book ever selected by the media mogul in 1996, cementing its status on the literary touchdown line.
Source => bookriot.com