Citizendia

Alice Walker

Alice Walker
BornFebruary 9, 1944 (1944-02-09) (age 64)
Cheeksville, Georgia, United States
Occupationnovelist, short story writer, poet
GenresAfrican American literature
Notable work(s)The Color Purple
Influences
Influenced

Alice Malsenior Walker (born February 9, 1944) is an American author and feminist (although she prefers the word Womanist). Events 474 - Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The State of Georgia ( is a state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story The short story is a literary genre of Fictional Prose Narrative that tends to be more concise and to the point than longer works of fiction such A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" A literary genre is a category of literary composition Genres may be determined by Literary technique, tone, Content, or even (as in the case of fiction African American literature is the body of Literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent The Color Purple is an acclaimed 1982 Epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker. Howard Zinn (born August 24 1922 is an American Historian, political scientist, social critic, activist and Playwright, best known Zora Neale Hurston ( January 7, 1891 &ndash January 28, 1960) was an American folklorist and author during the time Gayl Jones (born November 23, 1949) is an African American writer from Lexington Kentucky. Events 474 - Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created Feminism is a discourse that involves various movements theories, and Philosophies which are concerned with the issue of Gender difference, advocate She received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983 for her critically acclaimed novel The Color Purple. The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction has been awarded since 1948 for distinguished fiction by an American author preferably dealing with American life The Color Purple is an acclaimed 1982 Epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker.

Walker was born in Eatonton, Georgia, the eighth child of sharecroppers. The Rock Eagle Effigy Mound, a Native American Archaeological site is located adjacent to Georgia 4-H's Camp Rock Eagle north of the city The State of Georgia ( is a state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule Sharecropping is a system of agriculture or agricultural production in which a landowner allows a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crop produced on the land (e [1] As well as being African American, her family has Cherokee, Scottish and Irish lineage. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa The Cherokee (ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ a-ni-yv-wi-ya, in the Cherokee language) are a people native to North America, who at the time of European contact Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world [2] Although she grew up in Georgia, she has stated that she often felt displaced there, and lives in Berkeley, California:

“But I felt in Georgia and on the east coast generally very squeezed. Berkeley is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in Northern California, in the United States. People have so many hang-ups about how other people live their lives. People always want to keep you in a little box or they need to label you and fix you in time and location. I feel a greater fluidity here. People are much more willing to accept that nothing is permanent, everything is changeable so there is freedom and I do need to live where I can be free. ”

—Alice Walker, interview with The Observer in 2001, [1]

In her book Alice Walker: A Life, author Evelyn C. White talks about an incident when Walker, who was eight years old at the time, was injured when her brother accidentally shot her in the eye with a BB gun. She became blind in one eye as a result. In the book, White suggests this event had a large impact on Walker, especially when a white doctor in town swindled her parents out of $250 they paid to repair her injury. Walker refers to this incident in her book Warrior Marks, a chronicle of female genital mutilation in Africa, and uses it to illustrate the sacrificial marks women bear that allow them to be "warriors" against female suppression.

Contents

Activism and marriage

After high school, Walker went to Spelman College in Atlanta on full scholarship in 1961 and later transferred up north to Sarah Lawrence College near New York City, graduating in 1965. Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta Georgia. Sarah Lawrence is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States. Walker became interested in the U.S. civil rights movement in part due to the influence of activist Howard Zinn, who was one of her professors at Spelman College. The American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968 refers to the reform movements in the United States aimed at abolishing racial discrimination against African Howard Zinn (born August 24 1922 is an American Historian, political scientist, social critic, activist and Playwright, best known Continuing the activism that she participated in during her college years, Walker returned to the South where she became involved with voter registration drives, campaigns for welfare rights, and children's programs in Mississippi. Mississippi ( is a state located in the Deep South of the United States [3]

In 1965, Walker met and later married Mel Leventhal, a Jewish civil rights lawyer. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ They became the first legally married inter-racial couple in Mississippi. [4] This brought them a steady stream of harassment and even murderous threats from the Ku Klux Klan. Ku Klux Klan ( KKK) is the name of several past and present secret domestic terrorist organizations in the United States, generally in the southern states that are The couple had a daughter, Rebecca in 1969, but divorced eight years later. Rebecca Walker (born November 17 1969) is an American Feminist and writer

Writing career and success

Walker's first book of poetry was written while she was still a senior at Sarah Lawrence, and she took a brief sabbatical from writing when she was in Mississippi working in the civil rights movement. Walker resumed her writing career when she joined Ms. magazine as an editor before moving to northern California in the late 1970s. Ms is an American feminist magazine co-founded by American feminist and activist Gloria Steinem and founding California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. An article she published in 1975 was largely responsible for the renewal of interest in the work of Zora Neale Hurston, who was a large source of inspiration for Walker's writing and subject matter. Zora Neale Hurston ( January 7, 1891 &ndash January 28, 1960) was an American folklorist and author during the time In 1973, Walker and fellow Hurston scholar Charlotte D. Hunt discovered Hurston's unmarked grave in Ft. Pierce, Florida. Fort Pierce is a city in St Lucie County, Florida, USA. It is also known as the Sunrise City sister to San Francisco California, the Both women paid for a modest headstone for the gravesite. [5]

In addition to her collected short stories and poetry, Walker's first novel, The Third Life of Grange Copeland, was published in 1970. In 1976, Walker's second novel, Meridian, was published. The novel dealt with activist workers in the South during the civil rights movement, and closely paralleled some of Walker's own experiences.

In 1982, Walker would publish what has become her best-known work, the novel The Color Purple. The Color Purple is an acclaimed 1982 Epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker. The story of a young black woman fighting her way through not only racist white culture but patriarchal black culture was a resounding commercial success. The book became a bestseller and was subsequently adapted into a critically acclaimed 1985 movie as well as a 2005 Broadway musical play. The Color Purple is a 1985 Drama film directed by Steven Spielberg. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located The Color Purple is a Broadway musical based upon the novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker.

Walker has written several other novels, including The Temple of My Familiar and Possessing the Secret of Joy (which featured several characters and descendants of characters from The Color Purple) and has published a number of collections of short stories, poetry, and other published work. The Temple of My Familiar is 1989 novel by Alice Walker. It is an ambitious and multi-narrative novel containing the interleaved stories of: Arvedyda a musician Possessing the Secret of Joy is a 1992 Novel by Alice Walker.

Her works typically focus on the struggles of African Americans, particularly women, and their struggle against a racist, sexist, and violent society. List of racism-related topics|Racism by country Racism, by its simplest definition is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that Sexism is the belief or attitude that one Gender or Sex is inferior to or less valuable than the other and can also refer to a Hatred or distrust towards Her writings also focus on the role of women of color in culture and history. Walker is a respected figure in the liberal political community for her support of unconventional and unpopular views as a matter of principle.

Additionally, Walker has published several short stories, including the 1973 "Everyday Use: for your grandmama. " Everyday Use " is a widely studied and much-anthologized short story by Alice Walker. " This story contains Walker's traditional subjects of feminism and racism against African Americans. [6]

Personal life

She has one child, Rebecca Walker, from her marriage to Mel Leventhal. Rebecca Walker (born November 17 1969) is an American Feminist and writer Rebecca is also an author and in 2000 published a memoir entitled Black White and Jewish, chronicling her parents' relationship and how it negatively affected her childhood. [7][1] Walker and her daughter are currently estranged. Daughter Rebecca reports Walker wrote that their "relationship had been inconsequential for years, and that she was no longer interested in being my mother. " [1] Walker is a vegan. [2]

Musician/Comedian Reggie Watts is Walker's second cousin. Reggie Watts (Reginald Lucien Frank Roger Watts is a multidisciplinary comedic performer [8]

Walker discussed her love affair with singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman in a December 2006 interview with The Guardian, explaining why they did not go public with their relationship, saying "[the relationship] was delicious and lovely and wonderful and I totally enjoyed it and I was completely in love with her but it was not anybody's business but ours. Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to Performers who write, compose and sing their own material including Lyrics Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American Singer-songwriter, best known for her singles " Fast Car " " The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. "[9]

Awards and other recognition

In 1983, The Color Purple won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, making Walker the first African-American woman to win, as well as the National Book Award. The Color Purple is an acclaimed 1982 Epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker. The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction has been awarded since 1948 for distinguished fiction by an American author preferably dealing with American life The National Book Awards are among the most eminent literary prizes in the United States.

Walker also won the 1986 O. Henry Award for her short story "Kindred Spirits", published in Esquire magazine in August of 1985. The O Henry Award is the only yearly award given to short stories of exceptional merit The short story is a literary genre of Fictional Prose Narrative that tends to be more concise and to the point than longer works of fiction such Esquire is a Men's magazine by the Hearst Corporation with a strong literary tradition

In 1997 she was honored by the American Humanist Association as "Humanist of the Year"

She has also received a number of other awards for her body of work, including:

On December 6, 2006, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver inducted Alice Walker into the California Hall of Fame located at The California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts. Conceived by First Lady Maria Shriver, the California Hall of Fame was established with The California Museum for History Women and the Arts to honor legendary individuals The California Museum for History Women and the Arts – home of the California Hall of Fame – is housed in the State Archives Building in Sacramento, one block

Controversy and criticism

Existing criticism of Walker's work has centered largely on the depiction of African American men, in particular relating to the novel The Color Purple. The Color Purple is an acclaimed 1982 Epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker. When The Color Purple was published, there was some criticism of the portrayal of male characters in the book. The Color Purple is an acclaimed 1982 Epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker. The main concern of much of the criticism was that the book appeared to depict the male characters as either mean and abusive (Albert/"Mister") or as buffoons (Harpo). This criticism intensified when the film was released, as the narrative of the film cut a significant portion of the eventual resolution and reconciliation between Albert and Celie.

In the updated 1995 introduction to his novel Oxherding Tale, Charles Johnson criticized the book by saying, "I leave it to readers to decide which book pushes harder at the boundaries of convention, and inhabits most confidently the space where fiction and philosophy meet. Charles R Johnson (born 1948 in Evanston Illinois) is an American scholar and Author of Novels short stories, and "

Walker addressed some of these criticisms in The Same River Twice: Honoring the Difficult 1996. The book was a semi-autobiography, discussing specific events in Walker's life, as well as the perspective of experiencing reaction to The Color Purple twice, once as a book and then as the movie was made. The book also chronicled her struggle with Lyme disease. Lyme disease, or borreliosis, is an Emerging infectious disease caused by at least three Species of Bacteria belonging to the Genus

Selected works

Novels and short story collections

Poetry collections

Non-fiction

Works about Alice Walker

She opened her own bookstore with all her books in it in 2005.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Campbell, Duncan. African American literature is the body of Literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent "A long walk to freedom", 'dsfriurwej'The Observer, February 25, 2001. Retrieved on 2007-06-14. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the  
  2. ^ Alice Walker: A Critical Companion by Gerri Bates, ISBN 0-313-32024-1
  3. ^ White, Evelyn C. . "Alice Walker: On Finding Your Bliss; Interview by Evelyn C. White", Ms. Magazine, September/October 1999. Retrieved on 2007-06-14. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the  
  4. ^ "Inner Light in a Time of Darkness: A Conversation with Author and Poet Alice Walker", Democracy Now!, November 17th, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-06-14. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the  
  5. ^ Extract from "Anything We Love Can Be Saved: A Writer's Activism" by Alice Walker published by The Women's Press Ltd, 1997
  6. ^ Walker, Alice. "Everyday Use. " Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Comp. Thomas R. Arp. New York: Harcourt Brace College, 1994. 90-97.
  7. ^ The day feminist icon Alice Walker resigned as my mother. Retrieved on 2008-01-07. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental
  8. ^ Teagarden, Rebecca. "Reggie Watts", The Seattle Times, December 19, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-06-14. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the  
  9. ^ "No Retreat", The Guardian, December 15, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-06-14. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the  

External links

Video


Persondata
NAMEWalker, Alice Malsenior
ALTERNATIVE NAMESEatonton, Georgia, United States
SHORT DESCRIPTIONAmerican novelist, short story writer, poet
DATE OF BIRTHFebruary 9. The Rock Eagle Effigy Mound, a Native American Archaeological site is located adjacent to Georgia 4-H's Camp Rock Eagle north of the city The State of Georgia ( is a state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule The United States of America —commonly referred to as the . . . . . . . . . . . . . . , 1944
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
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