Author Biography
Zora Neale Hurston was born on January 7th, 1891, in Notasulga, Alabama. When she was still a toddler her and her family moved to Eatonville, Florida. She was raised for most of her life in Eatonville and considered it her home. Zora was the fifth of eight children, she had one sister and five brothers. Her parents were John and Lucy Hurston. John was a preacher and Lucy was a school teacher (Boyd). In 1904, when Zora was 13, her mother Lucy passed away and her father remarried. Zora and her new mother did not get along, Zora almost killed her in a fist fight (Zora).
Zora had a difficult time in school and eventually dropped out, but when she was 26 she decided she needed an education, so in 1917 she cut off 10 years of her age, and stated that she was only 16. After she started this she always went by that age, 10 years younger than she really was. In 1920 Zora received her associate degree from Howard University (Boyd).
While paying for school Hurston worked many jobs, one of them was as a maid for the Gilbert and Sullivan group. This is when she started her writing career. One of her first works got accredited and was published in the universities newspaper. She decided to move to New York’s Harlem neighborhood. There she entered and placed in many short story and playwriting contests such as one in theOpportunity magazine (Boyd). Because of her achievements Zora won a scholarship to Barnard College, and pursued anthropology (Zora).
In 1927 Hurston married Herbert Sheen, a fellow student at Howard University. However, in January of 1928 her relations with Sheen break off, and they eventually get divorced in July of 1931. In June of 1939 Hurston married Albert Price III, however 8 months later Huston files for divorced, but they are reconciled briefly. Then in November on 1934 the divorce from Price was granted and Hurston never marries again (Boyd).
In the early 1930’s Zora moved around and wrote several plays including The Great Day and From Sun to Sun. Hurston also worked on a play called Mule-Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life with Langston Hughes, a close friend at the time (Boyd).
Zora released her first novel in 1934, Jonah’s Gourd Vine. This was the first of her many novels. In 1935 Hurston released a collection of stories entitled Mules and Men. The stories in this collection were ones she collected when she made a trip to Florida to collect African-American folk tales in 1927 (Zora). In 1936 Hurston received a Guggenheim fellowship, which allowed her to travel to Haiti and write her most famous novel Their Eyes Were Watching God in 1937 (Boyd).
Hurston published her autobiography, Dust Tracks on a Road, in 1942. This was her last well received work, in 1948 she was accused of molesting a 10 year old boy. Zora was able to prove that she was out of the country at the time, but the false accusation greatly diminished her writing career (Boyd).
In her last ten years of life Hurston was struggled due to financial issues, she continued writing but was having a hard time getting her work published. Around 1955 she had several strokes and was living in St. Lucie County Welfare Home. On January 28, 1960 Zora Hurston passed away poor and alone and was buried in an unmarked grave in Fort Pierce, Florida (Boyd).
Work Cited
Boyd, Valerie. "Zora Neale Hurston." The Official Website of Zora Neale Hurston. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2013.
"Zora Neale Hurston Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2013.
Zora had a difficult time in school and eventually dropped out, but when she was 26 she decided she needed an education, so in 1917 she cut off 10 years of her age, and stated that she was only 16. After she started this she always went by that age, 10 years younger than she really was. In 1920 Zora received her associate degree from Howard University (Boyd).
While paying for school Hurston worked many jobs, one of them was as a maid for the Gilbert and Sullivan group. This is when she started her writing career. One of her first works got accredited and was published in the universities newspaper. She decided to move to New York’s Harlem neighborhood. There she entered and placed in many short story and playwriting contests such as one in theOpportunity magazine (Boyd). Because of her achievements Zora won a scholarship to Barnard College, and pursued anthropology (Zora).
In 1927 Hurston married Herbert Sheen, a fellow student at Howard University. However, in January of 1928 her relations with Sheen break off, and they eventually get divorced in July of 1931. In June of 1939 Hurston married Albert Price III, however 8 months later Huston files for divorced, but they are reconciled briefly. Then in November on 1934 the divorce from Price was granted and Hurston never marries again (Boyd).
In the early 1930’s Zora moved around and wrote several plays including The Great Day and From Sun to Sun. Hurston also worked on a play called Mule-Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life with Langston Hughes, a close friend at the time (Boyd).
Zora released her first novel in 1934, Jonah’s Gourd Vine. This was the first of her many novels. In 1935 Hurston released a collection of stories entitled Mules and Men. The stories in this collection were ones she collected when she made a trip to Florida to collect African-American folk tales in 1927 (Zora). In 1936 Hurston received a Guggenheim fellowship, which allowed her to travel to Haiti and write her most famous novel Their Eyes Were Watching God in 1937 (Boyd).
Hurston published her autobiography, Dust Tracks on a Road, in 1942. This was her last well received work, in 1948 she was accused of molesting a 10 year old boy. Zora was able to prove that she was out of the country at the time, but the false accusation greatly diminished her writing career (Boyd).
In her last ten years of life Hurston was struggled due to financial issues, she continued writing but was having a hard time getting her work published. Around 1955 she had several strokes and was living in St. Lucie County Welfare Home. On January 28, 1960 Zora Hurston passed away poor and alone and was buried in an unmarked grave in Fort Pierce, Florida (Boyd).
Work Cited
Boyd, Valerie. "Zora Neale Hurston." The Official Website of Zora Neale Hurston. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2013.
"Zora Neale Hurston Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2013.