Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou (Marguerite Annie Johnson) was born on April 4th, 1928. Maya passed away May 28th, 2014 at 86 years old. Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Maya Angelou was an American civil rights activist, memoirist, actress, and poet who was best known for her celebrated work
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. She was also known for work that explored themes of sexual, economic, and racial oppression.
As a kid, Angelou lived in Stamps, Arkansas with her grandmother. It was there that she was raped by a man that was her mother’s boyfriend which so traumatized her, that she went mute for several years. The incident would also be an inspiration for many of her later works as an adult.
In 1940, she worked as a dancer, cocktail waitress, cook, madam, and prostitute while living with her mother in San Francisco. It was at this time that she took the name Maya Angelou and also began frequenting the
Harlem Writer’s Guild, where she honed her literary talents.
In 1966, she wrote a 10-part TV series titled
Black, Blues, Black about how African culture had influenced American life. Besides acting in several TV productions and movies, she became the first African American woman to have her screenplay
Georgia, Georgia made into a feature film in 1972.
In 1981, she started teaching American Studies at the North Carolina-based
Wake Forest University, even though she never went to college.
Maya Angelou published her magnum opus
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings in 1969.
The work tells the life story of Maya Angelou and Bailey her brother who are sent to live with their self-sufficient and devout grandmother in a remote town in the South.
It is there that she experiences the prejudice of local whites and the pain of abandonment which only gets worse when she is raped by her mother’s boyfriend. Years later, she moves to San Francisco where she finds herself and becomes a great author who could not have been more free.
The Heart of a Woman is a work that Maya Angelou published in 1981. In this one, she tells of how she entered the world of black writers and artists in New York. She becomes an integral part of the black community and even works for Martin Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
During her time in New York, she acts and writes music even as her personal life turns chaotic as she marries and divorces a South African freedom fighter. Nonetheless, she would then become the first female editor of an English-language magazine.
Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now is a collection of essays that Maya Angelou published in 1993. In this work, she explores the value of her faith in God and charity, even as she reminisces on being a single mother, her childhood, and her experiences with racism.
Maya Angelou: Awards & Accolades
Maya Angelou books have been nominated for multiple awards, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was nominated for the Coretta Scott King Awards, Coretta Scott King Book Awards, in 1971. Letter to My Daughter was nominated for the Audie Award, Best Narration by the Author, in 2009.
Maya Angelou: Lists & Other Mentions
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was a New York Times: #1 Nonfiction Best Seller in 2014.
Related Authors
The most common authors followed by users who also follow Maya Angelou are:
- Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.
- James Patterson, author of the Alex Cross Series.
- George Orwell, author of the novel: 1984.
- Harper Lee, author of the To Kill a Mockingbird Series.
- J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter Series.
Maya Angelou: F.A.Q
When was Maya Angelou Born?
Maya Angelou was born on April 4th, 1928.
When did Maya Angelou die?
Maya Angelou died on May 28th, 2014 at 86 years old.
Where was Maya Angelou Born?
Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
What was the first book Maya Angelou wrote?
The first book written by Maya Angelou was I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, published in 1969.
What was the most recent book Maya Angelou wrote?
Her most recently released work was Strategies of Abundance (a short story) on December 26th, 2014.
How many books has Maya Angelou written?
Maya Angelou has written 51 books excluding contributions to anthologies. 5 books in the Maya's World Series, 18 books in the Collections, 4 books in the Picture Books, 7 books in the Maya Angelou's Autobiography Series, 16 books in the Non-Fiction Books, 1 book in the Poetry for Young People Series.