1. ZORA NEALE HURSTON

2. General Born: 1891 in Notasulga, Alabama
Moved with her family to Eatonville, Florida, an all-black town
Never experienced racism until after her mother died

3. General Pursued a literary career in Harlem
Other Harlem writers (like Langston Hughes) thought of her as naïve and egotistical
She didn’t write to impress the white readers. Instead, her characters were mixtures of both good and bad.

4. Professional
Besides being a writer, Hurston also worked as a personal secretary and a maid
She was committed to oral narrative and she was very good at it
Studied with the famous anthropologist Franz Boas at Barnard College which got her interested in black folk traditions
After graduating from college she received a fellowship to study the oral traditions of Eatonville

5. Professional
Later supported by Mrs. R. Osgood Mason, who took most of the credit for the work Hurston was able to publish
Published:
Jonah’s Gourd Vine in 1934
Mules and Men in 1935 (best-selling book)
Their Eyes Were Watching God in 1937
Dust Tracks on a Road in 1942 (autobiography)

6. End Struggled with money
In 1958 she suffered a series of strokes and moved to a welfare home
Died January 28, 1960
Her possessions were burned after her death but a friend managed to save her writings
Buried in an unmarked grave

7. Sources
“Zora Neale Hurston ( ).” The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., Print.
Lillios, Anna. ”Hurston’s Life.” Zora Neale Hurston: Digital Archive. The Center for Humanities and Digital Research, Web. 20 July