Eatonville, FL 32751
(407) 647-3307
Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Are you planning a vacation to Orlando this summer? Why not schedule a little side trip to Eatonville? It is only a few miles north of Orlando and holds a wealth of information and inspiration for Zora Neale Hurston fans.
At the Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts you will learn about the influential author, her works, and the time in which she lived. You will also have a opportunity to see an abundance of excellent work by local artist.
Each year during the last week in January the city of Eatonville (and 100,000 literary tourists) celebrates its liteary heritage with the Zora Neal Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities.
Zora Neale Hurston (1903-1960)
Acclaimed as one of the most notable writers during the Harlem Renascence, Zora Neale Hurston’s use of language and voice set her work apart from other African-American writers of the era. She distinguished herself during this literary and cultural movement of the 1920s by employing authentic Southern mannerism and speech in her writing, where others writers chose to distort and romanticize the characteristics.
Born on January 7, 1903, in Eatonville, Florida, Zora Neale Hurston became the seventh of eight children. Her father, John Hurston, was mayor of Eatonville for three terms. When Zora Neale was nine years old, her mother died, leaving Zora Neale to live with various relatives and friends until she went to work as a maid at age 14. She did not enjoy working as a maid and soon accepted a position as wardrobe girl for the Gilbert and Sullivan theatrical troupe.
Hurston attended Morgan Academy (now Morgan State University) in Baltimore, Maryland; Howard University in Washington, D.C.; and Barnard College in New York, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in 1928.
In 1921, the Howard University student literary magazine published Hurston’s first short story, “John Redding Goes to Sea.” Three years later, Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life, a publication founded by the National Urban League and the NAACP (National Association for Colored People), published “Drenched in Light.”
In 1925, Hurston moved to Harlem to join the artistic and intellectual community of other African-American writers. Here she wrote the play, Color Struck, which won second prize in the 1926 writing contest sponsored by Opportunity.
Hurston’s way with words and sense of self gave her a special talent for recording African-American folklore. For several years, she studied African-American folklore in Florida and Louisiana. Mules and Men (1935) was the result of this extensive research.
Go To Page: 1 2
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Ella Robinson's Literary Tour topic, please visit the Discussions page.