Zora Neale Hurston: A Biography of the Spirit

The author of such great works as Their Eyes Were Watching God , Moses, Man of the Mountain, Jonah's Gourd Vine, Mules and Men, as well as essays, folklore, short stories, poetry, and more, Zora Neale Hurston is regarded as an integral part of the Harlem Renaissance and one of the most important and influential African American writers of the past century. Through numerous biographies, many have come to know and love Hurston, and her work has found its way into high school and college curriculums. "Lost years" have been found, birth dates discovered, and the intricacies of relationships with friends, spouses, and family members have been uncovered. Yet, there is still a part of Hurston's life that is not accounted for. Aware of the challenges she faced in terms of constant ill health, personal and professional disappointments, struggles to fund her projects, even the inability sometimes to buy groceries, one wonders: How did she do it? What did it take for Hurston to accomplish all that she did? What did it take for her to live through the struggles she experienced? What allowed her to live-not just survive, but live?

Deborah G. Plant is Associate Professor of Africana Studies at University of South Florida, author ofEvery Tub Must Sit On Its Own Bottom: The Philosophy and Politics of Zora Neale Hurston.