Toni Morrison And “Jazz”

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Toni Morrison And "Jazz" Toni Morrison is one of the most celebrated African-American authors of our time. She "has become a distinctive literary voice in the 20th Century, and her works have become essential reading in the body of contemporary American fiction" (Random House 1). Morrison writes about the African-American experience in different times in American history. She also portrays African-American women as heroes in many of her novels. She has become a hero for all Americans because of her writings.

Life of Morrison Chloe Anthony Wofford was born on February 18, 1931, in Lorain, Ohio. Her parents were George and Ramah Wofford. Chloe was the second of four children. Her parents taught her about her African American Heritage and to enjoy great literature. When she entered the first grade, she was the only black student in her class. She was also the only student that knew how to read ("Morrison, Toni" 1).

Chloe attended Howard University and graduated with a degree in English in 1953. She later earned a Master's degree from Cornell. When she was in college, she began going by the name of Toni. After college, Morrison taught at Texas Southern University for two years. She returned to Howard University to teach English in 1957. While she was teaching there, she met Harold Morrison and eventually married him. Morrison had two sons with Harold. They were named Harold Ford and Slade Kevin ("Morrison, Toni" 1).

Toni and Harold Morrison were divorced in 1964. After her divorce Morrison moved to New York City with her two sons. She began working as a book editor for Random House in 1965. In 1967, Morrison became a senior editor at Random House. While she was editing books she was busy sending her own novels to various publishers. Morrison had two jobs, one as...