I will not be able to read anymore works by this author - this is my usual response to the news of the passing away of my favorite authors. Because, I usually value the writers in them or their works more than the people who have written the works. And, I suppose, every author, including me, wants to be remembered by their works. But, this has not been my first thought when I heard of the death of Toni Morrison.
Morrison has been an excellent author. I do not need to repeat that fact. I want to express my awe at the courage it has taken her to write her works. Because, she has not written merely works of fiction, rather she has written the untold and unacknowledged realities of the subjugated people, namely, the African-Americans. I am not just praising her for writing the realities, rather, the courage it has taken her to write those. I cannot oversee the fact that she has been a female. Being a female in a male-dominated world is difficult enough. So, one can imagine, how difficult it has been for her, being a female author, to write what most male authors would not dare. Because, most authors have been banished from their countries for writing the realities.
Morrison has been an excellent author. I do not need to repeat that fact. I want to express my awe at the courage it has taken her to write her works. Because, she has not written merely works of fiction, rather she has written the untold and unacknowledged realities of the subjugated people, namely, the African-Americans. I am not just praising her for writing the realities, rather, the courage it has taken her to write those. I cannot oversee the fact that she has been a female. Being a female in a male-dominated world is difficult enough. So, one can imagine, how difficult it has been for her, being a female author, to write what most male authors would not dare. Because, most authors have been banished from their countries for writing the realities.
It is a known speculation among the writing community that the female authors do not succeed as they avoid writing about sex and violence, in short, the reality. Though, any readers of Agatha Christie and other female authors would protest against this matter, it is or has been, until recently, somewhat true. (Now, the male authors often take female pen-names when they write romance novels.) But, Toni Morrison has written about the violent realities with courage. Because, in the words of Morrison -
"If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it."
So, she has written about the untold and brutal realities herself. And, in doing so, she herself has become an inspiration to other authors to express the realities through fiction.
Who else would be so courageous to write about the real matters? - this has been my first thought after knowing about the death of Toni Morrison. I greatly admire this courageous person who has written the books that no one else has written.
Copyright 2019 by Bithi Paul
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