Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960) was a star of the Harlem Renaisance and called “one of the greatest writers of our time” by Toni Morrison. Hurston was a distinguished author and anthropologist who celebrated and preserved her African–American culture in both her scientific research and in her fiction. She wrote four acclaimed novels—including her most famous novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God—two books of anthropology and folklore, one memoir, and numerous short stories, essays, and works of journalism.
Probably the most significant collector and interpreter of Southern, African American culture, Zora is the dominant female voice of the Harlem Renaissance era. In her works, she celebrated her hometown, Eatonville, as representative of the dignity and beauty of rural Southern, African-American life and culture. A consummate storyteller, she brought to her readers an authenticity based on her primary research.