The works of Maya Angelou encompass autobiography, plays, poetry, and teleplays. She also had an active directing, acting, and speaking career. She is best known for her books, including her series of seven autobiographies, starting with the critically acclaimed I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969).
All my work, my life, everything I do is about survival, not just bare, awful, plodding survival, but survival with grace and faith. While one may encounter many defeats, one must not be defeated.
Maya Angelou[1]
Angelou's autobiographies are distinct in style and narration, and "stretch over time and place",[2] from Arkansas to Africa and back to the US. They take place from the beginnings of World War II to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.[2] Angelou wrote collections of essays, including Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now (1993) and Even the Stars Look Lonesome (1997), which writer Hilton Als called her "wisdom books" and "homilies strung together with autobiographical texts".[3] Angelou used the same editor throughout her writing career, Robert Loomis, an executive editor at Random House, until he retired in 2011.[4] Angelou said regarding Loomis: "We have a relationship that's kind of famous among publishers."[5]
She was one of the most honored writers of her generation, earning an extended list of honors and awards, as well as more than 30 honorary degrees.[6] She was a prolific writer of poetry; her volume Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie (1971) was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize,[7] and she was chosen by President Bill Clinton to recite her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" during his inauguration in 1993.[8]
Angelou's successful acting career included roles in numerous plays, films, and television programs, such as in the television mini-series Roots in 1977. Her screenplay Georgia, Georgia (1972) was the first original film script by a black woman to be produced.[9][10] and she was the first African-American woman to direct a major motion picture, Down in the Delta, in 1998.[11] Since the 1990s, Angelou participated in the lecture circuit,[8] which she continued into her eighties.[12][13]
Literature
editUnless otherwise stated, the items in this list are from Gillespie et al., pp. 186–191.
Autobiographies
edit- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-375-50789-2
- Gather Together in My Name (1974). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-394-48692-5
- Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas (1976). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-45777-0
- The Heart of a Woman (1981). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-8129-8032-5
- All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-73404-8
- A Song Flung Up to Heaven (2002). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-375-50747-2
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou (2004). New York: Modern Library. ISBN 978-0-679-64325-8[14][15]
- Mom & Me & Mom (2013). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6611-7
Poetry
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- Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie (1971). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-394-47142-6[16]
- Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well (1975). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-45707-7
- And Still I Rise (1978). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-394-50252-6[9]
- Shaker, Why Don't You Sing? (1983). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-394-52144-2[17][18]
- Poems (1986). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-553-25576-8
- Now Sheba Sings the Song (1987). New York: Plume Books. ISBN 978-0-452-27143-2
- I Shall Not Be Moved (1990). New York: Bantam Books. ISBN 978-0-553-35458-4
- On the Pulse of Morning (1993). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-74838-0[19]
- The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou (1994). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-42895-4
- Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women (1995). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-43924-0
- A Brave and Startling Truth (1995). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-44904-1[20]
- "From a Black Woman to a Black Man", 1995
- Amazing Peace (2005). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6558-5[18]
- Mother: A Cradle to Hold Me (2006). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6601-8
- "Celebrations, Rituals of Peace and Prayer" (2006). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-307-77792-8
- Poetry for Young People (2007). Berkshire, U.K.: Sterling Books. ISBN 978-1-4027-2023-9
- "We Had Him", 2009[21][22]
- "His Day is Done", 2013[23]
Personal essays
edit- Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now (1993). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-553-56907-0
- Even the Stars Look Lonesome (1997). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-375-50031-2
- Letter to My Daughter (2008). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6612-4
Cookbooks
edit- Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes (2004). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6289-8
- Great Food, All Day Long: Cook Splendidly, Eat Smart (2010). New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1-4000-6844-9≠←
Children's books
edit- Life Doesn't Frighten Me (1993). New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang. ISBN 978-1-55670-288-4
- My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken and Me (1994). New York: Knopf Books. ISBN 978-0-517-59667-8. With photographs by Margaret Courtney-Clarke.
- Kofi and His Magic (1996). New York: Knopf Books. ISBN 978-0-517-59667-8. With photographs by Courtney-Clarke.
- Maya's World series (2004). New York: Random House:
- Izak of Lapland, ISBN 978-0-375-92833-8
- Angelina of Italy, ISBN 978-0-375-82832-4
- Renée Marie of France ISBN 978-0-375-82834-8
- Mikale of Hawaii ISBN 978-0-375-92835-2
Plays
edit- Cabaret for Freedom (musical revue), with Godfrey Cambridge, 1960
- The Least of These, 1966
- The Best of These (drama), 1966
- Gettin' up Stayed on My Mind, 1967
- Sophocles, Ajax (adaptation), 1974
- And Still I Rise (writer/director), 1976
- Moon on a Rainbow Shawl (director), 1978[24]
Film and television
edit- Blacks, Blues, Black! (writer, producer and host – ten one-hour programs, National Education Television), 1968
- Georgia, Georgia (writer for script and musical score), Sweden, 1972
- All Day Long (writer/director), 1974
- PBS documentaries (1975):
- Who Cares About Kids & Kindred Spirits (KERA-TV, Dallas, Texas)
- Maya Angelou: Rainbow in the Clouds (WTVS-TV, Detroit, Michigan)
- To the Contrary (Maryland Public Television)
- Tapestry and Circles
- Assignment America (six one-half hour programs), 1975
- Part One: The Legacy; Part Two: The Inheritors (writer and host), 1976
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (writer for script and musical score), 1979
- Sister, Sister (writer), 20th Century Fox Television, 1982
- Brewster Place (writer), ABC, 1990
- Down in the Delta (director), Miramax Films, 1998
- The Black Candle (poetry, narration), Starz, 2012
Plays and films acted in (partial list)
edit- Porgy and Bess, 1954–1955
- Calypso, 1957
- The Blacks, 1960
- Mother Courage, 1964
- Look Away, 1973
- Roots, ABC, 1977
- Runaway, Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions, 1993
- Poetic Justice, 1993
- Touched by an Angel ("Reunion"), CBS, 1995
- How to Make an American Quilt, Universal Pictures, 1995
- Madea's Family Reunion, Tyler Perry Studios, 2006
Recordings
edit- Miss Calypso, Scamp Records, 1957
- For the Love of Ivy, ABC Records, 1968
- "And So It Goes" (co-written with Roberta Flack for Flack's album Oasis), 1988[25]
- Been Found (collaborated on 7 tracks with Ashford & Simpson), 1996[25]
- "Music, Deep Rivers in My Soul" (with Wynton Marsalis), 2007[25]
Spoken-word albums
editRadio
edit- Talk show host, Oprah and Friends, XM Satellite Radio, launched 2006[27]
References
edit- ^ McPherson, Dolly A. (1990). Order Out of Chaos: The Autobiographical Works of Maya Angelou. New York: Peter Lang Publishing. pp. 10–11. ISBN 978-0-8204-1139-2.
- ^ a b Lupton, Mary Jane (1998). Maya Angelou: A Critical Companion. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-313-30325-8.
- ^ Als, Hilton (5 August 2002). "Songbird: Maya Angelou takes another look at herself". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 7 July 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
- ^ Italie, Hillel (6 May 2011). "Robert Loomis, editor of Styron, Angelou, retires". The Washington Times. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
- ^ Tate, Claudia (1999). "Maya Angelou: An Interview". In Joanne M. Braxton (ed.). Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: A Casebook. New York: Oxford Press. p. 155. ISBN 978-0-19-511606-9.
- ^ Moore, Lucinda (1 April 2003). "A Conversation with Maya Angelou at 75". Smithsonian. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2007.
- ^ Gillespie et al, p. 103
- ^ a b Manegold, Catherine S. (20 January 1993). "An Afternoon with Maya Angelou; A Wordsmith at Her Inaugural Anvil". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 February 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2007.
- ^ a b Brown, Avonie (4 January 1997). "Maya Angelou: The Phenomenal Woman Rises Again". New York Amsterdam News. Vol. 88, no. 1. p. 2.
- ^ "Maya Angelou: A Brief Biography". African Overseas Union. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 7 October 2007.
- ^ Gillespie et al, p. 144
- ^ Younge, Gary (25 May 2002). "No surrender". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 June 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
- ^ Gillespie et al, p. 9
- ^ Maya Angelou (2010). I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-47772-9. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
- ^ Maya Angelou (2012). The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou (illustrated ed.). Random House Publishing Group. p. 175. ISBN 978-0-307-43205-6. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
- ^ Moyer, Homer E. (2003). The R.A.T. Real-World Aptitude Test: Preparing Yourself for Leaving Home. Sterling, Virginia: Capital Books. p. 297. ISBN 978-1-931868-42-6.
- ^ A poem from this collection, "My Life Has Turned to Blue", was made into the title track of Nancy Wilson's album, Turned to Blue, in 2006.
- ^ a b Waldron, Clarence (25 December 2006). "Maya Angelou: On Christmas, Dave Chappelle and What Inspires Her". Jet. No. 110. p. 29. Archived from the original on 30 April 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
- ^ Angelou, Maya. "On the Pulse of Morning". Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on 11 February 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2007.
- ^ Long, Richard (November 2005). "Maya Angelou". Smithsonian. Vol. 36, no. 8. p. 84.
- ^ Vena, Jocelyn (7 July 2009). "Maya Angelou's Poem about Michael Jackson: 'We Had Him'". MTV. Archived from the original on 26 April 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2009.
- ^ "Maya Angelou's Elegy For Michael Jackson". HuffPost. 12 August 2009. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
- ^ Eby, Margaret (12 December 2013). "Maya Angelou pens poem for Nelson Mandela: 'His Day is Done'". Archived 17 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine New York Daily News. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- ^ Wolf, Matt (12 March 2014). "The National Theatre's Global Flair". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ a b c Letkemann, Jessica (28 May 2014). "Maya Angelou's Life in Music: Ashford & Simpson Collab, Calypso Album & More". Billboard. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ a b Maughan, Shannon (3 March 2003). "Grammy Gold". Publishers Weekly. Vol. 250, no. 9. p. 38.
- ^ Waggoner, Martha (13 September 2006). "Maya Angelou to Host Show on XM Radio". Fox News. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2007.
Works cited
edit- Gillespie, Marcia Ann, Rosa Johnson Butler, and Richard A. Long. (2008). Maya Angelou: A Glorious Celebration. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-385-51108-7