Toni Morrison dies at 88

August 06, 2019

Legendary Author Toni Morrison Dies at 88 by Judy Kurtz

Toni Morrison, one of America’s greatest writers, has died. The news of her death was announced by her publisher, Alfred A. Knopf. Morrison was the author of 11 novels, including “Beloved,” “Jazz” and “Song of Solomon,” as well as several works of non-fiction. She wrote of the unique tragedies and triumphs of the African American experience, in rich, sometimes mystical, prose. Among her many awards, Morrison received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. Morrison was 88 years old.

Author Toni Morrison has died.

The acclaimed “Beloved” and “Jazz” writer died Monday at 88 in New York, according to her publisher, Alfred A. Knopf.

Morrison was honored with virtually every literary award imaginable over her decades-long career — including the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award.

In 2012, then-President Obama awarded Morrison the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award. At the ceremony at the White House, Obama lauded Morrison’s writing for “using a tone that is lyrical, precise, distinct, and inclusive.”

“Toni Morrison’s prose brings us that kind of moral and emotional intensity that few writers ever attempt,” Obama said.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Obama said Morrison’s work “was not just beautiful but meaningful— a challenge to our conscience and a call to greater empathy.”

Several school districts across the country attempted to ban some of Morrison’s works. Her 1970 novel “The Bluest Eye” was banned in some schools in Oregon and Colorado for being “sexually explicit.” Several school districts also challenged, and some banned, her 1977 book “Song of Solomon.”

Morrison’s family said in a Tuesday statement provided by her publisher that the Ohio-born novelist was a “consummate writer who treasured the written word.” To read more go to the linke below:

https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/456341-toni-morrison-dies-at-88