Google bestows author Zora Neale Hurston her own doodle
Showing an illustrated portrait of the writer, along with a backdrop that easily fits into her acclaimed novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God," the Web giant pays homage to the great American author.
Marking the birthday of the great American author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston, Google drew up a classy doodle on Tuesday.
The doodle shows an illustrated portrait of the elegant woman with a feather in her green hat and the backdrop of a flat, lush countryside. This backdrop most likely portrays the area where Hurston grew up and that greatly shaped her writing: Eatonville, Fla. This small city was the first all-black town to incorporate in the US.
Hurston was born on January 7, 1891 in Alabama, which was not the most friendly time period or region for a black woman. Despite racism, segregation, and sexism, Hurston went on to become one of the most highly revered American authors of the twentieth century -- although much of her fame came after she died.
While she wrote four novels and many short stories, plays, and essays, Hurston was most well known for her novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God," which portrays the coming of age of a black woman in Florida.
Hurston died in 1960 in Florida from the effects of a stroke. Despite her acclaim, she died destitute. Author Alice Walker helped to bring Hurston's books to national attention when she wrote about Hurston's life and work for Ms. Magazine in 1975.
"Those that don't got it, can't show it," Hurston once said. "Those that got it, can't hide it."