Harlem Renaissance Women
If you had been lucky enough to sit in on any of the café gatherings or artsy dinner parties of the Harlem Renaissance, chances are you would have found Zora Neale Hurston at the head of the table. Zora embodied everything that was exciting about the movement-she was brilliant, beautiful, and ahead of her time on all counts.
Zora loved to challenge the status quo and became famous for her studies of black culture, and in particular for her work that debunked dim-witted ideas about white superiority. But Zora is best known for the novels that she wrote; her works today are considered to be some of the most important contributions to American fiction. During an era of literature that was dominated by men, Zora's novels stood out as magnificent commentary on the experience of the black American. Perhaps the most eloquent tribute to her life was made by author Alice Walker, who, after finding that Hurston had been buried in an unmarked grave, paid to have a headstone placed at the site. It read simply "Genius of the South."
The other great female voice of the Harlem Renaissance was Nella Larsen, who contributed two of the most important novels to the movement. Quicksand and Passing have become American classics, and Quicksand in particular was hailed as a fresh take on racial identity. Nella was celebrated as a bright new star of American literature, on her way to even greater acclaim. And that's when she disappeared. That's right-just as quickly as she had burst onto the literary scene, she dropped out. Nella gave up her writing, moved to Europe, then to Brooklyn, and reportedly spent her remaining days as a nurse.
The Harlem Renaissance changed it all, including attitudes about art, modern culture, and even race. Most historians agree that the movement lost steam after the 1920s, but its mark on the cultural landscape was permanent-America had been hurled into the twentieth century, almost despite itself, and now there was no going back.
Excerpted from the book Cool Women with permission of publisher, Girl Press.
Learn More About Harlem Renaissance Women
Women of the Harlem Renaissance
http://womenshistory.about.com/homework/ womenshistory/library/bio/blbio_list_harlem.htm?once=true&
Learn about other women who played a role in the Harlem Renaissance.
Rhapsodies in Black
http://www.iniva.org/harlem/home.html
This site provides a timeline, images, and essays about the Harlem Renaissance.
Hurston Biography
http://www-hsc.usc.edu/~gallaher/hurston/hurston.html
At this site, find a biography of Zora Neale Hurston and links to excerpts of her work.
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