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July 3, 2008 1:29 PM

THURSDAY TRAILBLAZER: Alice Walker

Alice Walker describes herself as an author, a feminist and a womanist, a term she started because "black women experienced a different and more intense kind of oppression than did white women".  Born in Georgia in 1944, Alice went on to become an active member of the Civil Rights Movement. Her books focus on African American women and their difficulties in a society that was racist, sexist and often violent.

Although she had a book of poetry published whilst a senior, her first novel wasn't published until 1970, entitled The Third Life of Grange Copeland. Her second was semi-autobiographical in that it focused on activist movements in the South. This was Meridian and was published in 1976.

Her most famous novel is The Color Purple which was published in 1982. Telling the story of Celie, we see how she fights her way in life against racism within the wider society and sexism within her own culture. The book was adapted into a film and more recently into a play. Alice also won a Pulitzer Prize for it.

Bibliography (short stories and novels - she also has a collection of poetry and non-fictional works)

The Third Life of Grange Copeland (1970)

Everyday Use (1973)

In Love and Trouble: Stories of Black Women (1973)

Roselily (1973)

Meridian

The Color Purple (1982)

You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down: Stories (1982)

Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self (1983) 

Am I Blue? (1986)

To Hell With Dying (1988)

The

Temple

Finding the Green Stone (1991)

Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992)

The Complete Stories (1994)

By The Light of My Father's Smile (1998)

The Way Forward Is with a Broken Heart (2000)

Now Is The Time to Open Your Heart (2005)

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Posted by Helen Redfern on July 3, 2008 in American Authors, Classic Novels, Thursday Trailblazer | Permalink

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