Monuments, Reputation, and Public Persona

Toni Morrison was many things in her lifetime—Nobel laureate, renowned author, Princeton professor, and generous mentor to young writers. Her appeal translated seamlessly to the internet, where old interview clips still bubble up regularly on social media, reminding us of her sharp wit and commanding presence. But, as Namwali Serpell argues in a new book of essays, “On Morrison,” this undeniable star persona risks eclipsing the genius—and complexity—of the eleven novels she wrote. On this episode of Critics at Large, Vinson Cunningham, Naomi Fry, and Alexandra Schwartz dive back into these works to rediscover the writer as she was on the page. The hosts discuss Morrison’s début novel, “The Bluest Eye”; “Beloved,” which is widely regarded as her masterpiece; and “Jazz,” the experimental 1992 novel believed to be her personal favorite. Throughout her career, she insisted on writing flawed, dynamic characters rather than paragons of virtue. “The Morrison project is to put Black life, and particularly the lives of Black women, at the very center of literature—but to do it in a way that’s true to character and to human experience,” Schwartz says. “The people she’s writing about are damaged, are greedy, are jealous, are sad . . . and also are generous, and loving, and hurt and trying to heal.”

Read, watch, and listen with the critics:

“On Morrison,” by Namwali Serpell
“Toni Morrison, the Teacher,” by Vinson Cunningham (The New Yorker)
“The Bluest Eye,” by Toni Morrison
“Song of Solomon,” by Toni Morrison
“Toni Morrison and the Ghosts in the House,” by Hilton Als (The New Yorker)
“Jazz,” by Toni Morrison
“Beloved,” by Toni Morrison
“Sula,” by Toni Morrison
“Black Writers in Praise of Toni Morrison” (The New York Times)
“The Blue Period: Black Writing in the Early Cold War,” by Jesse McCarthy
Monuments at MOCA and the Brick
“Language as Liberation,” by Toni Morrison

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Critics at Large is a weekly discussion from The New Yorker which explores the latest trends in books, television, film, and more. Join us every Thursday as we make unexpected connections between classic texts and pop culture.