Margaret Walker
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Brief Biography
Margaret Walker was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, before her family relocated to New Orleans during her childhood. Walker's exposure to her grandmother's stories about slavery, along with her parents' encouragement, sparked her passion for writing at a young age. She pursued higher education at New Orleans University and Northwestern University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English. Her involvement with the Works Progress Administration's Federal Writers Project in Chicago connected her with writer Richard Wright, who helped with some writing projects. In 1939, Walker returned to higher education, and in 1940 she earned a master’s degree from the University of Iowa. Her thesis was published as the poetry collection For My People in 1942. Walker's career included teaching positions at various institutions, including Jackson State College, and she also established the Institute for the Study of the History, Life, and Culture of Black People. She earned a doctorate from the University of Iowa in 1965. Her dissertation was based on her grandmother’s stories of slavery and became her acclaimed novel Jubilee. Walker died of breast cancer in 1998.
Publications
For My People. New Haven; Yale University Press, 1942.
Jubilee, a Civil War Novel. Iowa City; University of Iowa Press, 1955.
Prophets For a New Day. Detroit; Broadside Press, 1970.
October Journey. Detroit; Broadside Press, 1970.
A Brief Introduction to Southern Literature. Mississippi; Literary Seminar, Mississippi Arts Festival, 1977.
How I wrote Jubilee and Other Essays on Life and Literature. New York; Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 1989.
Jubilee, a Civil War Novel. Iowa City; University of Iowa Press, 1955.
Prophets For a New Day. Detroit; Broadside Press, 1970.
October Journey. Detroit; Broadside Press, 1970.
A Brief Introduction to Southern Literature. Mississippi; Literary Seminar, Mississippi Arts Festival, 1977.
How I wrote Jubilee and Other Essays on Life and Literature. New York; Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 1989.
Themes
Margaret Walker was a poet, novelist, educator, and literary critic. Her work focuses on the lives of Black Americans and is influenced by historical events and people.
Publisher
Alabama Authors of the 19th and 20th Centuries, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, http://AlabamaAuthors.org
Collection
Citation
Walker, Margaret, “Margaret Walker,” Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, accessed September 19, 2024, https://alabamaauthors.org/items/show/665.