Paule Marshall (April 9, 1929 – August 12, 2019) was an American writer, best known for her 1959 debut novel Brown Girl, Brownstones. In 1992, at the age of 63, Marshall was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship grant.

Is Paule Marshall still alive?

Deceased (1929–2019)
Paule Marshall/Living or Deceased

How do you pronounce Paule Marshall?

“’Paul-e,’” he said in one conversation, pronouncing the silent ‘e,’ she wrote in her memoir.

What did Paule Marshall write about?

Paule Marshall, original name Valenza Pauline Burke, (born April 9, 1929, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.—died August 12, 2019, Richmond, Virginia), American novelist whose works emphasized a need for black Americans to reclaim their African heritage. The Barbadian background of Burke’s parents informed all of her work.

Where was Paule Marshall born?

Brooklyn, New York, NY
Paule Marshall/Place of birth

What is the ancestry of Paule Marshall?

Valenza Pauline Burke, later known as Paule Marshall, was born on April 9, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York. She was the daughter of Ada and Samuel Burke, both emigrants from Barbados, and she grew up in a neighborhood with a significant number of other families from the West Indies.

Paule Marshall. Written By: Paule Marshall, original name Valenza Pauline Burke, (born April 9, 1929, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.), American novelist whose works emphasized a need for black Americans to reclaim their African heritage.

How old was Paule Marshall when she changed her name?

Smitten with the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, Marshall changed her given name from Pauline to Paule (with a silent e) when she was 12 or 13 years old. She attended Girls’ High School in Bedstuy and subsequently enrolled in Hunter College, City University of New York, with plans of becoming a social worker.

What is the first book by Paule Marshall?

Marshall portrays the special anguish of certain blacks who, in… …Girl, Brownstones, first novel by Paule Marshall, originally published in 1959. Somewhat autobiographical, this groundbreaking work describes the coming of age of Selina Boyce, a Caribbean American girl in New York City in the mid-20th century.

What happened to Marshall’s father?

Marshall’s father had migrated from the Caribbean island of Barbados to New York in 1919 and, during her childhood, deserted the family to join a quasi-religious cult, leaving his wife to raise their children by herself.