Toni Morrison, the celebrated novelist whose contributions to literature include Sula, Song of Solomon, and the Pulitzer-winning Beloved, has died at the age of 88.
Morrison's death was reported Tuesday morning by Vulture, which cited a source at Knopf publishing. At the time of this writing, a cause of death was not known.
The critically acclaimed documentary Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, originally released in June, was recently announced for an Aug. 12 screening at the Cane Fire Film Series at the Acadiana Center for the Arts benefiting the Festival of Words Cultural Arts Collective nonprofit.
"I don't think Toni's changed at all," The Pieces I Am director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, whose friendship with Morrison spanned decades, told Vanity Fair in June. "She was as confident when I first met her as she is today. What I like about the film is you see the Toni Morrison I know—the humor, the great twinkle she has, and the great depth of wisdom."
Speaking on the musicality of her writing style in a 2017 Granta interview, Morrison said she intended for her work to be heard in a specific way.
"In my house, there were books everywhere," she said. "My mother joined the Book of the Month Club. That was like resistance. Along with that thing about reading was telling stories, which they did all the time. Sang stories. There were about 10, and they were all insane."
Morrison debuted in 1970 with The Bluest Eye; her final novels were 2015’s God Help the Child and 2012’s Home. Last year saw the publication of The Source of Self-Regard: Essays, Speeches, Meditations.
Below, join readers in celebrating Toni Morrison's legacy by sharing favorite passages and quotes from her decades-strong catalog.
RIP.
