1891 – 1960

Zora Neale Hurston

African American folklorist, novelist, short story writer, and Civic Rights advocate (1891–1960)

novelistfolkloristanthropologistfilm directorjournalist

Born

1891-01-07, Notasulga

Died

1960-01-28

Birthplace state

Alabama

Biography

Zora Neale Hurston was born in Notasulga, Alabama, in 1891 and worked as a novelist, anthropologist, folklorist, playwright, journalist, film director, and historian. She wrote four novels, more than 50 short stories, plays, an autobiography, ethnographies, and essays, with Their Eyes Were Watching God published in 1937 becoming her most popular novel. Her research examined Hoodoo and Caribbean Vodou, and her 1937 work Tell My Horse employed ethnomusicological methods of study. She died on January 28, 1960.

Occupation

Zora Neale Hurston is recorded as a novelist, a folklorist, a anthropologist, a film director, a journalist, a civil rights advocate, a playwright, a historian and a writer, born in Alabama (1891–1960).

Connections to Alabama

Zora Neale Hurston was born in Notasulga, Alabama in 1891. Explore other notable figures from Alabama, historic sites connected to this era, and the full colonial and statehood history of the state using the links below.

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The Land

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Geology

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LiDAR Terrain

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Conflict & War

The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.

The Civil War

The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.

The Soldiers

The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.

Native Heritage

The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.

Settlement

Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.

The Community

How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.

Rivers & Rail

The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.

Notable People

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Historical Maps

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Finds & Access

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Literature

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Spotlight

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Points of Interest

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Timeline

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More notable figures from Alabama

Other historical figures born in Alabama, ranked by historical prominence.

Helen Keller

American deafblind author, political activist, lecturer, scholar (1880-1968)

Rosa Parks

civil rights activist

Harper Lee

American novelist (1926–2016)

Jesse Owens

American track and field athlete (1913–1980)

Nat King Cole

American singer and jazz pianist (1919–1965)

Edward O. Wilson

American biologist, naturalist, and writer (1929–2021)

Louise Fletcher

American actress (1934–2022)

Frequently asked about Zora Neale Hurston

Who was Zora Neale Hurston?

Zora Neale Hurston was African American folklorist, novelist, short story writer, and Civic Rights advocate (1891–1960), born in Alabama (1891 – 1960).

When and where was Zora Neale Hurston born?

Zora Neale Hurston was born on 1891-01-07 in Notasulga.

When did Zora Neale Hurston die?

Zora died on 1960-01-28.

What was Zora Neale Hurston known for?

Zora Neale Hurston is recorded as a novelist, a folklorist, a anthropologist, a film director, a journalist, a civil rights advocate, a playwright, a historian and a writer.

Source

Biographical content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Source: Wikipedia.

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