Toni Morrison
Author of *Beloved*, winner of the NYTBR's 2006 poll for best American fiction of 1980–2005.
Toni Morrison, born Chloe Ardelia Wofford on February 18, 1931, in Lorain, Ohio, was an American novelist and editor whose work centers on the Black American experience and the harsh consequences of racism. She was the second of four children in a working-class Black family. Her father, a welder for U.S. Steel who had moved north from Georgia after witnessing a lynching, was so traumatized by racism that he would not allow white people in the house. When Morrison was about two, the family’s landlord set their home on fire because her parents could not pay rent; her family responded by laughing at the landlord, a reaction Morrison later cited as a lesson in maintaining integrity against cruelty. Her parents instilled a sense of heritage through African-American folktales, ghost stories, and songs, and she read voraciously, favoring Jane Austen and Leo Tolstoy. She became Catholic at twelve, taking the baptismal name Anthony, which led to the nickname Toni. After graduating from Howard University in 1953 with a B.A. in English and a minor in Classics, she earned a master’s degree in American Literature from Cornell University in 1955. She taught English at Texas Southern University and later at Howard, where she met and married Harold Morrison, a Jamaican architect; they had two sons before divorcing in 1964. In the late 1960s, Morrison became the first Black female senior editor in fiction at Random House in New York City, where she championed Black literature, working on collections including *Contemporary African Literature* and fostering writers such as Toni Cade Bambara and Angela Davis. Her own first novel, *The Bluest Eye*, was published in 1970. National attention came with *Song of Solomon* (1977), which won the National Book Critics Circle Award. She won the Pulitzer Prize for *Beloved* (1987), later adapted into a 1998 film. Morrison received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993, the Jefferson Lecture honor in 1996, the National Book Foundation’s Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters that same year, the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2012, and the PEN/Saul Bellow Award in 2016. She was posthumously inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2020. Morrison died on August 5, 2019.
- field
- Novelist, editor
- nationality
- American
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Lore & Background
The New York Times Book Review poll, titled "What Is the Best Work of American Fiction of the Last 25 Years?," was conducted in 2006 by editor Sam Tanenhaus. He sent letters to prominent writers, critics, and editors, requesting a single choice for the best American fiction published between 1980 and 2005. The poll received 124 responses, and the results were published on May 21, 2006, in the Sunday edition of the New York Times. An essay by A. O. Scott, "In Search of the Best," reflected on the results. Toni Morrison's *Beloved* (1987) received the most votes, a result that Tanenhaus, Scott, and several poll participants had anticipated. The runners-up were *Underworld* (1997) by Don DeLillo; a tie for third between *Blood Meridian* (1985) by Cormac McCarthy and *Rabbit Angstrom: A Tetralogy* (1995) by John Updike; and *American Pastoral* (1997) by Philip Roth. The full list featured 22 works that received at least two votes. Works by Philip Roth received more total votes than those by any other author. The poll spurred debate about biases against women's writing, regionalist literature, and genre fiction. The Observer later conducted its own poll for British, Irish, or Commonwealth writers, won by J. M. Coetzee's *Disgrace* (1999).
Reader's Guide
Morrison's *Beloved* was the top vote-getter in the NYTBR poll, which sought the single best work of American fiction from 1980 to 2005. The poll's results were published on May 21, 2006, and included the winner, four runners-up, and 17 other works with at least two votes. Scott's essay provided vote tallies for the top five works and noted that Roth's novels received 21 votes total across seven books. The NYTBR did not reveal individual ballots, but some respondents later disclosed their choices. The poll's methodology—inviting only prominent literary figures—drew criticism for being unrepresentative of contemporary American literature's breadth. The Observer's parallel poll for British/Commonwealth writers highlighted the exercise's influence. Morrison's win placed *Beloved* at the center of discussions about the American literary canon.
Did You Know?
- Toni Morrison's *Beloved* (1987) won the 2006 New York Times Book Review poll for best American fiction of 1980–2005, receiving the most votes from 124 literary figures.
- The poll's results were published on May 21, 2006, in the Sunday edition of the New York Times, with an essay by A. O. Scott titled 'In Search of the Best'.
- Works by Philip Roth received more total votes than those by any other author, with 21 votes across seven novels.
- The poll inspired The Observer to conduct its own survey for British, Irish, or Commonwealth writers, won by J. M. Coetzee's *Disgrace* (1999).
- Critics of the poll noted apparent biases against women's writing, regionalist literature, and genre fiction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Toni Morrison?
Toni Morrison was an American novelist and literary editor born on February 18, 1931, who became one of the most influential voices in twentieth-century fiction. She spent years editing Black literature before turning her full attention to writing novels that centered Black American lives.
What are Toni Morrison's most famous novels?
Her landmark works include The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon, and Beloved, each of which tackles the deep wounds left by racism, slavery, and displacement in the United States. These titles remain essential reading in American literature courses worldwide.
Did Toni Morrison win the Nobel Prize in Literature?
Yes, in 1993 she became the first African American woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. The award recognized her ability to craft vivid, deeply human stories about the African American condition.
What themes run through Toni Morrison's writing?
Her novels consistently examine the psychological scars of systemic racism, the bonds of family and community, and the power of memory to shape identity. She gave interior depth to Black characters whose stories had long been sidelined in mainstream fiction.
When did Toni Morrison die?
Toni Morrison passed away on August 5, 2019, at the age of 88. Her legacy lives on through her celebrated novels, her decades of editorial work championing Black authors, and her lasting impact on writers who followed.
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