Born Chloe Anthony Wofford in Lorain, Ohio, Morrison grew up in a black working-class family. She was the second of four children and loved reading as a child. She earned her B.A. in English from Howard University and an M.A. in English from Cornell University. Following her graduation, she taught at Texas Southern University, and then returned to Howard to teach English.

While teaching at Howard, Morrison joined a group of writers and began writing what would become her first novel The Bluest Eye, which wouldn’t be published until 1970. She also married Harold Morrison in 1958 and together they had two children. However, they divorced in 1964. Morrison moved to Syracuse, New York after the divorce and worked as an editor. She was instrumental in bringing black literature into the mainstream.

After the publication of The Bluest Eye, Morrison continued to write novels. Her 1973 novel Sula was nominated for the National Book Award. Song of Solomon (1977) became a selection for the Book-of-the-Month Club. Morrison’s 1987 novel Beloved won the American Book Award, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

–Christie Finn