The Guardian

Toni Morrison’s gift was to make black people feel seen | Irenosen Okojie

In her inspirational writing, she gave voice to reality of the African American experience
Portrait of Toni Morrison, painted by Robert McCurdy, in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. Photograph: Patrick Semansky/AP

It is impossible to fully encapsulate the magnitude and influence of Toni Morrison, a writer of such power, gravitas and ingenuity, the rhapsodic praise almost seems inadequate, anti-climactic. But we must do so. We must celebrate her. If the act of writing makes the human experience that much more knowable then we must mark this moment.

Morrison’s greatest gifts – a virtuosic feel for language and an eye for bringing the lived experiences

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Guardian

The Guardian4 min read
‘Everyone Owns At Least One Pair’: $75bn Sneaker Industry Unboxed In Gold Coast Exhibition
What was the world’s first sneaker? Was it made in the 1830s, when the UK’s Liverpool Rubber Company fused canvas tops to rubber soles, creating beach footwear for the Victorian middle class? Or was it a few decades later, about 1870, with the invent
The Guardian4 min read
Lawn And Order: The Evergreen Appeal Of Grass-cutting In Video Games
Jessica used to come for tea on Tuesdays, and all she wanted to do was cut grass. Every week, we’d click The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker’s miniature disc into my GameCube and she’d ready her sword. Because she was a couple of years younger than m
The Guardian4 min read
‘Almost Like Election Night’: Behind The Scenes Of Spotify Wrapped
There’s a flurry of activities inside Spotify’s New York City’s offices in the Financial District. “It’s almost like election night,” Louisa Ferguson, Spotify’s global head of marketing experience says, referring to a bustling newsroom. At the same t

Related Books & Audiobooks