Wer ist maya angelou

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928. She grew up in St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas. She was an author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer, and civil rights activist. She was best known for her seven autobiographical books: Mom & Me & Mom (Random House, 2013); Letter to My Daughter (Random House, 2008); All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes (Random House, 1986); The Heart of a Woman (Random House, 1981); Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas (Random House, 1976); Gather Together in My Name (Random House, 1974); and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Random House, 1969), which was nominated for the National Book Award.

Among her volumes of poetry are A Brave and Startling Truth (Random House, 1995); The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou (Random House, 1994); Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now (Random House, 1993); I Shall Not Be Moved (Random House, 1990); Shaker, Why Don't You Sing? (Random House, 1983); Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well (Random House, 1975); and Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie (Random House, 1971), which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

In 1959, at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Angelou became the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. From 1961 to 1962 she was associate editor of The Arab Observer in Cairo, Egypt, the only English-language news weekly in the Middle East, and from 1964 to 1966 she was feature editor of the African Review in Accra, Ghana. She returned to the United States in 1974 and was appointed by Gerald Ford to the Bicentennial Commission and later by Jimmy Carter to the Commission for International Woman of the Year. She accepted a lifetime appointment in 1982 as Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In 1993, Angelou wrote and delivered a poem, "On The Pulse of the Morning," at the inauguration for President Bill Clinton at his request. In 2000, she received the National Medal of Arts, and in 2010 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.

The first black woman director in Hollywood, Angelou wrote, produced, directed, and starred in productions for stage, film, and television. In 1971, she wrote the original screenplay and musical score for the film Georgia, Georgia, and was both author and executive producer of a five-part television miniseries "Three Way Choice." She also wrote and produced several prize-winning documentaries, including "Afro-Americans in the Arts," a PBS special for which she received the Golden Eagle Award. Angelou was twice nominated for a Tony award for acting: once for her Broadway debut in Look Away (1973), and again for her performance in Roots (1977).

Angelou died on May 28, 2014, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she had served as Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University since 1982. She was eighty-six.

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  • Official Site of Maya Angelou
  • Academy of Achievement - Maya Angelou
  • PBS LearningMedia - Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise - Memory and Setting in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"
  • CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture - Biography of Maya Angelou

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  • Official Site of Maya Angelou
  • Academy of Achievement - Maya Angelou
  • PBS LearningMedia - Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise - Memory and Setting in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"
  • CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture - Biography of Maya Angelou

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  • Maya Angelou - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
  • Maya Angelou - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Alternate titles: Marguerite Annie Johnson

By The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Nov 9, 2022 Edit History

Table of Contents

Wer ist maya angelou

Maya Angelou

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Born:April 4, 1928 Saint Louis Missouri...(Show more)Died:May 28, 2014 (aged 86) Winston-Salem North Carolina...(Show more)Awards And Honors:Presidential Medal of Freedom (2011) Grammy Award (2002) Grammy Award (1995) Grammy Award (1993) Grammy Award (2003): Best Spoken Word Album Grammy Award (1996): Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Album Grammy Award (1994): Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Album National Medal of Arts (2000) National Women's Hall of Fame (inducted 1928) Presidential Medal of Freedom (2011) Spingarn Medal (1994)...(Show more)Notable Works:“Down in the Delta” “His Day Is Done” “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” “On the Pulse of Morning”...(Show more)Notable Family Members:daughter of Bailey Johnson, Sr. daughter of Vivian Baxter married to Tosh Angelos married to Paul du Feu mother of Guy Johnson sister of Bailey Johnson, Jr....(Show more)

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Top Questions

Why is Maya Angelou important?

Maya Angelou was an American poet, memoirist, and actress whose several volumes of autobiography explore the themes of economic, racial, and sexual oppression.

What is Maya Angelou best known for?

Maya Angelou’s first autobiographical work, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), gained critical acclaim and a National Book Award nomination. Her best known poem is perhaps On the Pulse of Morning, which she composed and delivered for the inauguration of U.S. Pres. Bill Clinton in 1993.

What were Maya Angelou’s jobs?

In addition to writing, Maya Angelou was a dancer who studied with Martha Graham and Pearl Primus. She acted onstage, in films, and on television in such works as Poetic Justice (1993), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), and Roots (1977). In 1981 Angelou became a professor of American studies at Wake Forest University.

What awards did Maya Angelou win?

Maya Angelou was awarded the National Medal of Arts (2000) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2010). She won three Grammy Awards for her spoken-word albums (1993, 1995, and 2002). In 1994 she was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Summary

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Maya Angelou, original name Marguerite Annie Johnson, (born April 4, 1928, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.—died May 28, 2014, Winston-Salem, North Carolina), American poet, memoirist, and actress whose several volumes of autobiography explore the themes of economic, racial, and sexual oppression.

Although born in St. Louis, Angelou spent much of her childhood in the care of her paternal grandmother in rural Stamps, Arkansas. When she was not yet eight years old, she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend and told of it, after which he was murdered; the traumatic sequence of events left her almost completely mute for several years. This early life is the focus of her first autobiographical work, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969; TV movie 1979), which gained critical acclaim and a National Book Award nomination. Subsequent volumes of autobiography include Gather Together in My Name (1974), Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas (1976), The Heart of a Woman (1981), All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986), A Song Flung Up to Heaven (2002), and Mom & Me & Mom (2013).

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In 1940 Angelou moved with her mother to San Francisco and worked intermittently as a cocktail waitress, a prostitute and madam, a cook, and a dancer. It was as a dancer that she assumed her professional name. Moving to New York City in the late 1950s, Angelou found encouragement for her literary talents at the Harlem Writers’ Guild. About the same time, Angelou landed a featured role in a State Department-sponsored production of George Gershwin’s folk opera Porgy and Bess; with this troupe she toured 22 countries in Europe and Africa. She also studied dance with Martha Graham and Pearl Primus. In 1961 she performed in Jean Genet’s play The Blacks. That same year she was persuaded by a South African dissident to whom she was briefly married to move to Cairo, where she worked for the Arab Observer. She later moved to Ghana and worked on The African Review.

Wer ist maya angelou

Roots

Angelou returned to California in 1966 and wrote Black, Blues, Black (aired 1968), a 10-part television series about the role of African culture in American life. As the writer of the movie drama Georgia, Georgia (1972), she became one of the first African American women to have a screenplay produced as a feature film. She also acted in such movies as Poetic Justice (1993) and How to Make an American Quilt (1995) and appeared in several television productions, including the miniseries Roots (1977). Angelou received a Tony Award nomination for her performance in Look Away (1973), despite the fact that the play closed on Broadway after only one performance. In 1998 she made her directorial debut with Down in the Delta (1998). The documentary Maya Angelou and Still I Rise (2016) depicts her life through interviews with Angelou and her intimates and admirers.

Angelou’s poetry, collected in such volumes as Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ’fore I Diiie (1971), And Still I Rise (1978), Now Sheba Sings the Song (1987), and I Shall Not Be Moved (1990), drew heavily on her personal history but employed the points of view of various personae. She also wrote a book of meditations, Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now (1993), and children’s books that include My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken and Me (1994), Life Doesn’t Frighten Me (1998), and the Maya’s World series, which was published in 2004–05 and featured stories of children from various parts of the world. Angelou dispensed anecdote-laden advice to women in Letter to My Daughter (2008); her only biological child was male.

Wer ist maya angelou

Angelou, Maya

In 1981 Angelou, who was often referred to as “Dr. Angelou” despite her lack of a college education, became a professor of American studies at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Among numerous honours was her invitation to compose and deliver a poem, “On the Pulse of Morning,” for the inauguration of U.S. Pres. Bill Clinton in 1993. She celebrated the 50th anniversary of the United Nations in the poem “A Brave and Startling Truth” (1995) and elegized Nelson Mandela in the poem “His Day Is Done” (2013), which was commissioned by the U.S. State Department and released in the wake of the South African leader’s death. In 2011 Angelou was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Was hat Maya Angelou getan?

Maya Angelou (1928-2014) war eine US-amerikanische Autorin, Professorin und eine der wichtigsten Personen der afroamerikanischen Bürgerrechtsbewegung. Im Alter von acht Jahren wurde sie vom Freund ihrer Mutter vergewaltigt. Der drohte damit, ihren Bruder zu erschlagen, wenn sie jemanden davon erzähle.

Was die Wahrheit uns bedeutet?

Was die Wahrheit uns bedeutet ist Ausdruck eines unbändigen Kampfeswillens. Auf meisterhafte erzählerische Weise offenbart Maya Angelou, welche weltverändernde Kraft der Wunsch nach Gerechtigkeit bedeutet, in einer Welt, in der seit Jahrhunderten der Wohlstand der einen das Unglück der anderen zur Folge hatte.

Wie viele Bücher hat Maya Angelou geschrieben?

Als Autorin hat Maya Angelou 30 Bücher geschrieben, sieben davon sind autofiktional. Den letzten Band verfasste sie ein Jahr vor ihrem Tod 2014. Der erste von 1969 erregte weltweit Aufsehen und erschien 1980 unter dem Titel „Ich weiß, dass der gefangene Vogel singt“ auf Deutsch.

Wie alt wurde Maya Angelou?

86 Jahre (1928–2014)Maya Angelou / Alter zum Todeszeitpunktnull