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Maya Angelou, Algonquin Hotel, New York City
Born St. Louis, Missouri
With the publication of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in 1969, Maya Angelou (1928–2014) launched a series of seven remarkable autobiographical novels. The books span several years, shedding light on her difficult childhood, when she shuttled back and forth between relatives in the North and South; her starring role in Porgy and Bess during its extended international tour in the 1950s; and her tireless work in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
Born Marguerite Annie Johnson, Angelou renamed herself in adulthood. A politically engaged writer, shew as also a widely published poet, whose work was most powerful when recited by its author. This was certainly the case when she read her poem "On the Pulse of the Morning" for an audience of millions at President Bill Clinton's 1993 inauguration. In 2011,she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
Brigitte Lacombe (born 1950)
Inkjet print, 1987 (printed 2012) |