Gloria Naylor
Gloria Naylor
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Gloria Naylor was born Gloria Naylor McLean on December 25, 1946, in Bronx, New York City. She is often referred to by her pen name, Gloria Naylor.
Birth and Death Dates
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Naylor passed away on September 3, 2016, at the age of 69.
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Gloria Naylor was an American novelist, short story writer, playwright, and educator. Her works often explored themes related to African-American experiences, culture, and identity.
Early Life and Background
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Growing up in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood, Naylor faced racial tensions and social inequalities from a young age. This early exposure would later influence her writing, which frequently tackled issues of racism, sexism, and classism. She attended Hunter College High School before enrolling at Yeshiva University.
Major Accomplishments
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Naylor's breakthrough novel, _The Women of Brewster Place_, published in 1982, earned her the American Book Award for Fiction. This critically acclaimed work delves into the lives of African-American women living on Brewster Place in Brooklyn during World War II. Her subsequent novels include:
Linden Hills (1995), a novel that explores themes of family dynamics and social status
Bailey's Cafe (1992), which won the 1993 American Book Award for Fiction
Notable Works or Actions
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In addition to her novels, Naylor wrote several plays and short stories, including _Between the Pool and the Garden Fence_ (1985) and _Mama Day_ (1988). Her writing often incorporated elements of African-American folklore and mythology. As a professor at various institutions, including Sarah Lawrence College and Bard College, Naylor taught creative writing workshops and courses focused on the experiences of African-American women.
Impact and Legacy
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Gloria Naylor's work has had a lasting impact on American literature, offering nuanced portrayals of marginalized communities and challenging readers to confront issues of social justice. Her writing style, blending elements of magical realism with historical fiction, has inspired generations of writers. Naylor was also an advocate for the rights of African-American women and LGBTQ+ individuals.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Gloria Naylor's insightful and powerful writing continues to resonate today. Her quotes often highlight themes such as:
Empowerment: "It is one thing to be remembered, but it's quite another to be honored by those who have been given the power to honor us."
Intersectionality: "It is not enough that we are black and women; we must also be aware of our class, our location, our sexual orientation, our ability, our disability. We must understand how these multiple identities intersect in our lives."
These quotes not only reflect Naylor's commitment to amplifying marginalized voices but also demonstrate her lasting influence on contemporary discussions around identity, power, and social change.
Quotes by Gloria Naylor
They looked only at the products and thought they saw God – they should have looked at the process.
Then she turned and firmly folded her evening like gold and lavender gauze deep within the creases of her dreams, and let her clothes drop to the floor.
She breathed deeply of the freedom she found in Mattie’s presence. Here she had no choice but to be herself. The carefully erected decoys she was constantly shuffling and changing to fit the situation were of no use here. Etta and Mattie went way back, a singular term that claimed co-knowledge of all the important events in their lives and almost all of the unimportant ones. And by rights of this possession, it tolerated no secrets.
Just like that chicken coop, everything got four sides: his side, her side, an outside, and an inside. All of it is the truth.
New customers are a pain in the butt until they get into the rhythm of things. Fried chicken Mondays. Hamburger Tuesdays. Hash Wednesdays. Pork chop Thursdays. Fish on Fridays. And a weekend open house: breakfast, lunch, dinner: your call.
Ain’t nothing to be shamed of. Having a baby is the most natural thing there is. The Good Book call children a gift from the Lord. And there ain’t no place in that Bible of His that say babies is sinful. The sin is the fornicatin’, and that’s over and done with. God done forgave you of that a long time ago, and what’s going on in your belly now ain’t nothin’ to hang your head about – you remember that.
The high stone fireplace, the heavy walnut tables, the fringed Oriental rug, the leather furniture. The air definitely came alive, but Willie felt out of place. Not because of any excessive luxury-the furnishings, while meticulously preserved, were still scarred and worn, but they seemed to suspend him in another time. Why, it was like walking into a movie set for Wuthering Heights.
True insanity, as frightening as it might be, gives a sort of obliviousness to the chaos in a life. People who commit suicide are struggling to order their existence, and when they see it’s a losing battle, they will finalize it rather than have it wrenched from them. Insanity wouldn’t permit that type of clarity.