Nobel Prize and Pulitzer winning author has died.
One of the world’s most celebrated novelists, Toni Morrison, has sadly passed away aged 88 following a brief illness.
“We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives.”
Holding all those touched by Toni Morrison in my heart today. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/2jkAvtaErK
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) August 6, 2019
The American author of and has won 21 awards in her lifetime, including the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize in Literature – she was the first black woman to receive such an accolade.
In 2012, she was honoured with the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama, and her last novel was published four years ago.
Toni Morrison was a national treasure, as good a storyteller, as captivating, in person as she was on the page. Her writing was a beautiful, meaningful challenge to our conscience and our moral imagination. What a gift to breathe the same air as her, if only for a while. pic.twitter.com/JG7Jgu4p9t
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 6, 2019
She was an icon and an inspiration for her in-depth look at the history of black people in America. Writers, politicians and celebrities have paid tribute to Toni Morrison on social media, including Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey.
“In the beginning was the Word. Toni Morrison took the word and turned it into a Song…of Solomon, of Sula, Beloved, Mercy, Paradise Love, and more. She was our conscience. Our seer. Our truth-teller. She was a magician with language, who understood the Power of words. She used them to roil us, to wake us, to educate us and help us grapple with our deepest wounds and try to comprehend them. It is exhilarating and life-enhancing every time I read and share her work,” wrote Oprah.
Below, we have listed some of our favourite quotes from the celebrated writer.
From her 1993 Nobel Lecture.
“We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives.”
On freedom.
“Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another.”
Ultimate life advice
“You wanna fly, you got to give up the sh*t that weighs you down.”
Honest take on relationships
“Could you really love somebody who was absolutely nobody without you? You really want somebody like that? Somebody who falls apart when you walk out the door? You don’t, do you?”
