Zora Neale Hurston Biography, Life, Interesting Facts

Zora Neale Hurston was a remarkable Folklorist, anthropologist, activist and most of all 16th-century authors. She was the most notable writer in the United States from 1920 to 1950.Till now; Zora is referred to us as the foremother of African-American generation when it comes to identifying women writers. She patiently, described and outlined the cultural ethics of Black America both in her stories, essays, and novels.

Childhood and Early Life

On January 7, 1891, Zora Neale Hurston was born in Alabama, Notasulga in the United States. His father was known as John Hurson while her mother was called Lucy Potts Hurston. She spent her childhood life in Florida.

Unfortunately, her happy life turned around when her mother died in 1904. John Hurson came to remarry where Zora opted to leave home in search of basic bread. She strived and toiled where she got enough money to further her education. She later arrived at Baltimore in 1917 where she joined Morgan Academy to complete her high school education. She then enrolled at Howard University in 1918 where she received an associate degree in 1920.

Career

Early in 1921, Zora Neale Hurston rose up with her first story titled John Redding Goes to Sea in the campus magazine literary society. In 1924 she got a chance to publish her short story in an Opportunity magazine which was named as Drenched in Light. From 1925 to 1927 Neale pursued anthropology at Barnard College.

With the help of Wallace Thurman and Langston Hughes, Zora created her first magazine called Fire!! In the mid of 1926.Unluckily, they didn’t manage to publish more than one matter. He continued to write her inspirations stories for influential magazines. In 1927 she gathered an oral history when she visited Florida. Here, she earned a Bachelor of Anthropology. She got a chance to partner with Rollins College in Florida where she managed to produce a Negro type of music in 1932.

In the mid of January 1935, Zora Neale Hurston began to study for her final Ph.D. in an anthology at the Columbia University. She was lucky to get full sponsorship from the Rosenwald Foundation. In 1937 she received another scholarship where she was allowed to conduct an ethnography research in Haiti and Jamaica. Her epic work was seen in ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’ in 1937.She later landed a story consultant job at the Paramount pictures.

Zora Neale Hurston progressed with her writing works in establishing journals such as The Saturday Evening Post and The American Mercury. In 1956 Zora went to work as a librarian in Florida, and after a long wait, she took a teaching job at Lincoln Park Academy in Fort Pierce.

Major Works And Achievements

In 1935 Zora Neale Hurston completed publishing the ‘Mules and Men’ collection. The book was defined as one of the best works in her career. In the mid of 1937, she published another part of her major work that was famously known as ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God.' Even though the work received poor critics, in the beginning, it climbed the ladder after several months. In 1942 she released her autobiography named Dust Tracks on a Road which was appreciated by all ages. She was later awarded an honorary degree from Morgan State College. She followed it up with Anisfield-Wolf Award for her remarkable autobiography in 1943.The same year, she earned a Distinguished Alumni Award from Howard University.

Personal Life And Legacy

Zora Neale Hurston married Herbert Sheen, with whom she divorced in 1931. She later married Albert Prince in 1939 where they stayed in the union for seven months. The famous anthropologist was accused of allegedly molesting a little boy, but the case was dissolved after some time. She suffered a stroke in 1959 where she was taken to St. Lucie Welfare Home. She battled with hypersensitive heart disease; she was last seen alive on January 28, 1960.