Conversations with Toni Morrison

by Danille K. Taylor-Guthrie (Editor), Toni Morrison

Without apology Nobel Prize author Toni Morrison describes herself as an African American woman writer. These collected interviews reveal her to be much more. She has shared space in her creative life for her career in publishing, in teaching, and in being a single parent. Writing, however, is one thing she “refuses to live without.” These interviews beginning in 1974 reveal an artist whose creativity is intimately linked with her African American experience and is fueled by cultural and societal concerns. For twenty years she has created unforgettable characters in her acclaimed novels― The Bluest Eye , Sula , Song of Solomon , Tar Baby , Beloved , and Jazz . Morrison tells her interviewers that her goal as a writer is to present African American life not as sociology but in the full range of its depth, magic, and humanity. “I want my work to capture the vast imagination of black people,” she says. “That is, I want my books to reflect the imaginative combination of the real world, the very practical, shrewd, day-to-day functioning that black people do, while at the same time they encompass some great supernatural element.” Though the scope and the magnitude of her art have brought her international acclaim, even some of her most ardent admirers have viewed her fiction mainly with a focus on class, race, and gender. In these interviews, however, she addresses the artist's concern with moral vision and with a resistance to critical attitudes that categorize black writing largely as sociology. From these interviews comes a greater understanding of Toni Morrison's purpose and the theme of love that streams through her fiction.

Genres: Nonfiction, African American, Biography, Writing, Feminism, Essays, Literature

312 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1994

Reviews

[Demetria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toni Morrison is a genius. We all know this. This book is evidence that she is in fact a super genius. The interviews in this book are amazing and enlightening. I keep a scrapbook of great sentences from great works as well as bits of writerly advice. This book has given me a number of things to add to my scrapbook. Morrison talks about her writing process and how she loves the act of revising her work. She says she likes to re-work things until the "seams don't show." Stand-out interviews in the book are those by Marsha Darling--which includes great info on my favorite Morrison book, Beloved-- and the interview by the incomparable Bill Moyers.

One interview that stands out in a bad way is the 1979 interview conducted by Collete Dowling. Dowling clearly does not like Morrison as a person and she has these very brutal and strange observations throughout the piece. For example: "She will often put on an act in conversation, she might suddenly 'get down' and be very chicken-and-ribs, sucking her teeth, poking a finger into her scalp and scratching--a strange, primitive gesture that makes her hairdo rock back and forth on her scalp like a wig." What? Primitive? *sigh* Everything about that is just wrong and mean-spirited and just ugh.

Besides that odd interview, the book is quite good and something I would recommend to any Toni Morrison fan.

[Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

a genius

[Nkcubeko · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent meditation on the novels of Toni Morrison, her literary work and she, herself. Barred of academic discourse flying from page to the next, this books consists of numerous interviews between Morrison and interviewers who manage to, holding the reader's hand, enter her realm. It enlightens on the themes in Morrison's language and the meanings she tries to convey. It also gives her a beautiful, almost beastly voice to say what her work is amidst what is said in literary criticism. Reading this I could nearly picture her, gracefully on a green couch with a cup of tea before her, looking out at the window and telling me why Song of Solomon was written for me, a young black person.

[David Garza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good collection of interviews from the '70s to early '90s.

There are about 25 interviews here, and at a certain point a lot of them start to get repetitive. If you ask the same questions as someone else, you're going the get the same answers. The editor could have done more to avoid that. I don't think the collection would have suffered much if 3 or 4 of the interviews were taken out (don't ask me which ones).

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good interviews of how she chose to get into writing but discovered that writing found her. From publisher to writer does take faith and courage while being a single mom too.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Son entrevistas y conversaciones relacionadas con las primeras cinco novelas de Toni Morrison. Como libro de consulta está muy bien, pero se vuelve un poco repetitivo y tedioso.

[Dezzy Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This woman was such a genius.

[Anny · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no writer who has such a special place in my heart as Toni Morrison. I am connected to her writings and her talks deeper than I do to any other writers. I am obsessed with her languages. I am enamored by her beautiful soul, I admire her value and most of all, I am inspired by her imagination.

I first read Song of Solomon a few years ago and immediately fell in love with Toni Morrison. In fact, she was the one who sparked my curiosity to read more of literature. I love her so much so in 2018, I decided to read all of her 11 fictions and that was my best reading year, ever. From then on, I continue to keep her words around me so that I feel closer to her... even if she’s gone... I picked Conversation with Toni Morrison to be included in my 2019 reading goal #womenpioneers because, well she is my heroine.

In 1993, Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize in Literature which made her the first African American to be awarded. Although I didn’t read African American literature enough to judge, but Toni Morrison clearly pioneered the new literary territory. And, I think, no one, can write like Toni Morrison.

In reading Conversation with Toni Morrison, it makes my love for her writing even more meaningful. This book is a collection of her interviews from when she wrote The Bluest Eyes to Jazz (The Bluest Eye, Sula, Song of Solomon, Tar Baby, Beloved, Jazz). It gives such insight from Morrison's own words about the inspirations behind these books. I got so many clues to solved the questions that I had when I read her 11 fictions and it makes me want to reread them all again. The greatest take away I took from this book was learning about Morrison’s writing life. It such a serene experience to listen to (read) her talking about her life as a writer, a woman, a teacher and a mother. She never claimed that ‘I am a bestselling author, or award winning author or da da da’ She simply said, I am a writer. Her work is an act of giving so that people can see and witness themselves, and also gives the great beauty and hope that what art is capable of. What a gift to the world Morrison was, and her work is

The songs of Toni Morrison will forever stay with me.

[Roger DeBlanck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Morrison’s novels is to know her brilliance, but reading her spoken words in interviews and conversations reveals her dedication and genius as both a thinker and writer. I’ll echo a mere snippet of her ideas that resonate with me:

• Writing may not change the future, but it can alter the past by addressing all the infinite, untold stories and by re-appropriating what we think we know.
• In order for art to be good, it must be political and beautiful in presenting the truth and bringing forth clarity.
• Writers and artists bear witness to the world with all its tragedy; they commit themselves to all those who have been ignored and forgotten.
• To be a writer means to labor forth until your work reads with an effortlessness where no seams show.
• For Morrison, her writing has always gravitated towards delving the depths of love or the absence of love.

[Salvatore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things I learned:
*Toni Morrison is prickly. And if she doesn't like a question, she damn well won't answer it.
*All stories come from a question. Makes sense. But an author must 'bear witness'. I like that.
*Toni doesn't write for you, she writes for her characters. It's what they want to read. And above all, she writes what she (Toni) wants to read.
*She won't talk about her marriage, which ended in divorce. So don't ask her.
*She doesn't wine and dine people. The 70s-80s were about raising children and writing when she could. That's that.
*Toni won't write when she doesn't feel like writing. If that means a couple of months go by without writing a word, so be it.
*When she feels like writing, she'll drop everything.

Interesting and encouraging read, and I do feel like I learned a bit about the author - her writing, style, inspirations, and life.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toni is wise and knowledgeable, so for the most part I enjoy her interviews. The problem is that interviewers ask the same questions and write the same information repeatedly like it's an original idea or necessary. Therefore, this book is very reptitive and around page 170 becomes unbearable. It was torturous getting through all 287 pages and I do admit I very ineffectively skimmed the last 100 or so pages, but on the positive side I got some really good quotes from the first 130 or so pages and Toni made me think and reflect. One of my favorite interviews in the book is Toni Morrison by Charles Ruas on pages 93-118. Toni talks about a lot of relevant cultural topics and is very enlightening and honest.

[Black Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provides superb insight into the processes of writing, imagination and thematic properties in the world of Toni Morrison. Some text was a bit redundant but thats just the nature of the book.

Would read again.

[Salimah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt that this book, more than any other, cemented my desire to become a professor of literature. Through this series of interviews with the author, I developed a real philosophy of literature.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

She is simply amazing! A must read for aspiring writers.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truthfully, I think I probably read about 1/2 to 3/4 of this when I was preparing my senior thesis.