The Guardian

Toni Morrison’s gift was to make black people feel seen | Irenosen Okojie

In her inspirational writing, she gave voice to reality of the African American experience
Portrait of Toni Morrison, painted by Robert McCurdy, in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. Photograph: Patrick Semansky/AP

It is impossible to fully encapsulate the magnitude and influence of Toni Morrison, a writer of such power, gravitas and ingenuity, the rhapsodic praise almost seems inadequate, anti-climactic. But we must do so. We must celebrate her. If the act of writing makes the human experience that much more knowable then we must mark this moment.

Morrison’s greatest gifts – a virtuosic feel for language and an eye for bringing the lived experiences

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