Toni Morrison Papers

Toni Morrison was born Chloe Ardelia Wofford in Lorain, Ohio in 1931. She attended Howard University, graduating in 1953 with a degree in English, then received an MA in literature from Cornell University in 1955.

After a brief teaching stint at Texas Southern University, Morrison returned to teach at Howard in 1957. There, she married architect Harold Morrison, with whom she had two sons, Harold Ford Morrison (born 1961) and Slade Kevin Morrison (1964-2010). The two divorced around the time of Slade's birth, after which Morrison began working as a textbook editor for a division of Random House based in Syracuse, NY. In 1967, Morrison was promoted to senior editor and moved to New York City, where she worked with a number of emerging influential African-American writers, including Toni Cade Bambara, Angela Davis, Henry Dumas, and Gayl Jones, in addition to editing The Black Book (1974), a compilation of African-American historical documents.

Morrison's first novel, The Bluest Eye, was published in 1970. She has published a total of eleven novels to date, winning numerous literary and cultural awards including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for Beloved in 1988, the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993, the National Humanities Medal in 2000, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. In addition to her novels, Morrison has written non-fiction, poetry, children's literature (in collaboration with her son Slade), and dramatic works.

In 1983, she left her position at Random House to concentrate on writing and teaching, serving as the Albert Schweitzer Professor of the Humanities at SUNY Albany from 1984-1989, then the Robert E. Goheen Professor in the Council of the Humanities at Princeton University until her retirement in 2006. During this time, she taught classes in creative writing, African-American studies, and, at Princeton, developed the interdisciplinary Atelier program. She has also served as a visiting professor and lecturer at numerous institutions, including Yale University, the University of Michigan, the University of Chicago, and Harvard University.

Morrison lived in Grand View-on-Hudson in New York until her death in 2019 at age 88.

The material described in this finding aid consists of manuscripts, drafts, galleys, and proofs of Morrison's novels and other writings; personal correspondence; editorial files relating to Morrison's work at Random House and later publication of two posthumous works by Toni Cade Bambara; academic and teaching files, particularly pertaining to SUNY Albany and Princeton University; working files; press clippings; published books; photographs; audiovisual materials; and awards and memorabilia.

The collection is arranged into the following series:

Purchase, 2009 (AM 2015-62), with accruals in 2015-2024: AM 2015-74, AM 2015-89, AM 2015-98, AM 2017-6, AM 2017-128, AM 2018-33, AM 2018-78, and AM 2023-108.

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Some material in this collection, particularly found in the Writings and Correspondence series, was damaged by the fire that destroyed Morrison's upstate New York home in 1993. Damage ranges from charred edges to pages missing significant portions or rendered illegible.

This collection contains digital files, which may require specific software or hardware for access. Refer to our Tips on Accessing Born-Digital Content for information on how to render these file formats.

Some materials in this collection were treated for fire damage and encapsulated in mylar in 1994.

This collection was processed by Allison Hughes, with the assistance of Sophia Alvarez, Fiona Bell, Kristine Gift, Isabelle Litke, Chloe Pfendler, and Ann-Elise Siden in February 2015-February 2017. Processing of the born-digital material was done by Elena Colón-Marrero, Jarrett Drake, and Allison Hughes in 2015-2016. Finding aid written by Allison Hughes in 2016-2017.

New additions were processed and the finding aid was updated by in March-November 2017 by Kelly Bolding, in 2018 by Faith Charlton, in January-February 2020 by Chloe Pfendler, and in 2024 by Faith Charlton. Additional born-digital materials were processed by Kathryn Antonelli and Kelly Bolding in July-August 2017.

Other materials relating to Toni Morrison's work at Random House may be found in the Random House records at Columbia University's Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Original drafts of Toni Cade Bambara's writings and related materials may be found in the Spelman College Archives.

A number of recordings of PEN American Center events in which Toni Morrison participated can be found in the PEN American Center Records (C0760). Online access to these recordings is available through the PEN America Digital Archive site.

Some floppy disks were deaccessioned after imaging due to a lack of archival value. Duplicate papers and audiovisual materials were removed from the collection.

Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. For permissions and copyright questions related to Toni Morrison and her writings, please contact the Toni Morrison Estate via Rene Boatman (boatman@princeton.edu). To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Toni Morrison Papers, Box and Folder Number; Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Publisher

Manuscripts Division

Finding aids author

Allison Hughes; Sophia Alvarez; Fiona Bell; Kristine Gift; Isabelle Litke; Chloe Pfendler; Ann-Elise Siden; Elena Colón-Marrero; Jarrett Drake; Allison Hughes; Kelly Bolding; Kathryn Antonelli; Faith Charlton

Date

2016

Creator

Morrison, Toni

Lemaître, Pascal (1948)

LaGravenese, Richard

Brooks, Adam (1956)

Little, Tanya

Douglas, Pamela (1944)

Taylor, Michael

Maharry, Ayanna

Coleman, Leon

Martin, Darnell

Omdahl, Ilka

Bambara, Toni Cade

Birch, Christine

Rameau, Willy

Le Madec, J.

Pakay, Sedat

Jones, Carlton

Lewis, Roy

Billops, Camille

Gaskins, Bill (1953)

Packwood, Cyril Outerbridge (1930)

Coale, Sam

Brinin, Stuart

Guerrero, Anabell

Greenfield-Sanders, Timothy

Harrington, Charles

Wasserman, Nancy (1955)

Ferris, William R.

Freeman, Roland L. (1936)

Berg, Lisa

Usner, Donald J.

Kemp, Lilian

Koolish, Lynda

Krementz, Jill

Hilliard, Mary

Goellner, Ellen W. (1956)

Day, Anne.

Andrews, Bert.

Giovannetti, Giovanni

Lanker, Brian

Kunz, Kate

Marcus, Helen

Cream, Bob

Victor, Thomas

Regnault, Chantal

Colita

Crampton, Nancy.

Gotfryd, Bernard.

Leibovitz, Annie (1949)

Meller-Marcovicz, Digne

Mulas, Maria

Fowler, Sherman

Sharp, S. Pearl

Merz, Barbara J. (Barbara Jean) (1974)

Reimers, Nana

Arons, David

Burns, George

Wagner International

Serating, Bob

Mutlaq, Hakim

Edergren, Björn

Collsiöö, Jan

Mikrut, Jack

Walker, Joan

Meyers, John

Ron Carter's Photo World.

Madden, Chris Casson

Jacquet, Olivier

Ross, Susan J.

McMullan, Patrick

McQuary, Anne

Croon, Paul

Robinson, Aminah Brenda Lynn

McMillan, Felicia Piggott

Newhouse, Susan Mabee

Gaines, Kevin Kelly

Hoy, Ray

Criado, Carmen

Bofill, Mireia

Menéndez, Iris

Gubern, Jordi

Francí, Carmen

Giselle Potter

Fibla, Jorge

Udina, Dolors

Garikano, Anton

Massaro, Evelyn Kay

Siqueira, José Rubens

Gábor Éva, Erdősné (1941)

Dorsman-Vos, W.A

Beek, Ronald

Verhagen, Piet

Vink, Nettie

Dekker, Bessel

Vries, G. J. de (Gert Jan)

Praesent, Angela.

Polz, Karin.

Aumüller, Uli.

Goridis, Uta.

Rademacher, Susanna.

Pfetsch, Helga

Bechtolsheim, Barbara von

Piltz, Thomas.

Hammerich, Ida Elisabeth

Hopenwasser, Fran

Paulsen, Inge-Lise

Rifbjerg, Inge

Bøgh, Marit Lise

Schønnemann, Annelise

Høverstad, Torstein Bugge

Lange, Mona

Edlund, Mårten

Mörling, Mikael (1941-1990)

Hallén, Kerstin

Hjörvar, Úlfur

Loponen, Seppo

Ripatti, Kaarina

Alopaeus, Marja

Sonck, Kaarina

Brinis, Hilia

Vezzoli, Delfina

Di Natale, Giuseppe (1974)

Bertolotti, Antonio

Cavagnoli, Franca

Balacco, Luisa

Hilling, Simone

Rué, Sylviane.

Chabrier, Hortense.

Alien, Pierre

Guiloineau, Jean (1939)

Wicke, Anne

Kiéfé, Laurence

Uhrynowska-Hanasz, Zofia.

Gorczyńska, Renata

Wroniak, Julita

Batko, Zbigniew

Zarzecki, Krzysztof.

Stabej, Jože

Samcová, Jarmila (1939)

Kovalčík, Vlastimil

Žantovský, Michael (1949)

Mayerová, Zuzana

Žantovská, Hana

Ara, Konomi (1946)

Adler, Renata

Ali, Muhammad (1942-2016)

Durham, Richard

Aptheker, Herbert (1915-2003)

Du Bois, W.E.B. (William Edward Burghardt) (1868-1963)

Barbosa, Márcio (1959)

Bellow, Saul

Brown, Tamara L. (1967)

Camargo, Oswaldo de (1936)

Brandão, Ruth Silviano.

Castello-Branco, Lucia

Chase, Richard Volney (1914-1962)

Cheever, Susan.

Colina, Paulo (1950)

Conceição, Jônatas (1952)

Costa, Nivalda

Cruz, Manoel de Almeida (1950)

davenport, doris (1949)

Doyle, Barbara

Sullivan, Mary Edna

Todd, Tracey

Dumas, Henry (1934-1968)

Fabre, Geneviève

Raynaud, Claudine

Faulkner, William (1897-1962)

Cowley, Malcolm (1898-1989)

Fishkin, Shelley Fisher.

Forrest, Leon

Giovanni, Nikki

Guimarães, Geni

Mitchell, Elvis

Grooms, Mimi Gross

Hauser, Arnold (1892-1978)

John T. Irwin

Jones, Gayl

Jones, Jacqueline (1948)

Jordan, A. Van

Kibuko, Oubi Inaê (1955)

Kincaid, Jamaica

Lawrence-Lightfoot, Sara (1944)

Lee, Donna

Malaquias, Terezinha

Mbiti, John S.

Melville, Herman (1819-1891)

Baker, Kyle

Morales, Robert

Murdoch, Iris

Nielsen, Aldon Lynn.

Ortega, Julio (1942)

Pena, Hector

Poe, Edgar Allan (1809-1849)

Poniatowska, Elena

Ribeiro, Esmeralda (1958)

Roediger, David R.

Rosenquist, James (1933-2017)

Rudisill, Marie

Simmons, James C. (James Coleman) (1939)

Santiago, Rogério Zola.

Segal, Lore Groszmann

Sena, Luisa de

Shange, Ntozake

Stein, Gertrude (1874-1946)

Stowe, Harriet Beecher (1811-1896)

Styron, William (1925-2006)

Tagore, Rabîndranâth (1861-1941)

Wideman, John Edgar

Woolley, Bryan

Ammons, Shirlette

Berg, Joel

Boime, Albert

Brown, Wesley (1945)

Davis, Ollie M

Derricotte, Toi (1941)

Dimock, Peter (1950)

Doyle, Elisabeth

Erdrich, Louise

Glover, Vivian

Harry, Margot

Kilson, Martin

Ladd, Florence

Lockhart, Isaac O.

Lazarre, Jane

Mara, John

McCoy, Maureen

Nunez, Elizabeth

Perry, Imani (1972)

Porcelli, Joe

Pryse, Marjorie (1948)

Spillers, Hortense J.

Scrivanich, Olivia

Zhang, Jie (1937)

Abel, Elizabeth (1945)

Bacon, Helen H.

Bidney, Martin.

Brodsky, Claudia (1955)

Brombert, Beth Archer.

Buncombe, Marie

Byatt, A. S. (Antonia Susan) (1936)

Caldwell, E.A.

Caram, Eve La Salle

Carrasco, Davíd.

Law, Jane Marie

Conner, Marc C. (1965)

Dander, Nicholas

Deleuze, Gilles (1925-1995)

Guattari, Félix (1930-1992)

Deo, Veena

Smith, Barbara Clark

Domini, John (1951)

Dopico, Ana María

Doyle, Laura (Laura Anne)

Duplessis, Rachel Blau

Dürr, W. Theodore (William Theodore) (1932)

Edmondson, Locksley

Erickson, Peter

Fallon, Robert (1967)

Fields, Karen E. (Karen Elise) (1945)

Flory, Wendy Stallard

Frankenberg, Ruth

Funk, Pauline J.

Gass, John

Giantvalley, Scott (1949-1989)

Gilbert, Sandra M.

Gubar, Susan (1944)

Goldstein, Judith

Hall, Jacquelyn Dowd

Haralson, Eric L.

Harris, Kandi

Hartley, Ruth

Hazard, Patrick D.

Heyman, Richard

Higginbotham, A. Leon, Jr. (1928-1998)

Higginbotham, F. Michael

Ngcobo, S. Sandile

Higginbotham, Evelyn Brooks (1945)

Howell, Roy Carleton

Hubbard, Dolan (1949)

Hudson-Withers, Clenora

Huggins, Nathan Irvin (1927-1989)

Jessee, Sharon

Johnson, Charles Ellis (1857-1926)

Johnson, Navorn

Johnson, Walter

Jones, Margery

Kannel, Desiree R.

Kitts, Lenore

Kruse, Horst H. (Horst Hermann) (1929)

Lambrinidis, Christiana

Lemire, Elise Virginia

Low, Charles L.

Lunbeck, Elizabeth.

Massardier-Kenney, Françoise

Miller, R. Baxter

Milvy, Erika

Nilsen, Don Lee Fred.

Paulsell, Stephanie (1962)

Portales, Marco (1948)

Portelli, Alessandro

Powers, Marc

Ranguin, Josiane

Reichardt, Ulfried

Rich, Anthony

Rodrigues, Eusebio L. (1927)

Skerl, Jennie.

Smith, J. Clay (John Clay) (1942)

Smith, Marsha

Smith, Valerie (1956)

Smith-Rosenberg, Carroll.

Sobel, Richard (1949)

Somerville, Jane (1934)

Rooney, Ellen (1957)

Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty

Stachelberg, Cynthia

Staub, August W. (1931)

Stogdon, Philip

Sundquist, Eric J.

Tassy, Elaine

Thompson, Sharon (Lecturer in law)

Traylor, Eleanor W.

Tobin Tyler, Elizabeth

Wall, Cheryl A.

Walker, Moses Fleetwood (1856-1924)

Warren, Kay B. (1947)

Shawn, Wallace

McGee, Brenda A.

Previn, André (1929-2019)

Danielpour, Richard

Scearce, J. Mark (1960)

Subject

African American authors -- 20th century -- Sources

Authors, American -- 20th century -- Sources

Novelists

Nobel Prize winners

Women Nobel Prize winners

Language

English

Form

Correspondence

Fan mail

Interviews

proofs (printed matter)

Typescripts

Photographs, Original