Maya Angelou
1 book analyzed
Biography
Maya Angelou (born Marguerite Annie Johnson, 1928-2014) lived the events of this memoir between ages 3 and 16. After the period covered by the book, she went on to work as a dancer, singer, actress, civil rights activist (she worked with both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X), journalist, and eventually one of America's most celebrated poets and memoirists. She wrote six autobiographical volumes in total. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was written at the encouragement of James Baldwin and editor Robert Loomis, who reportedly challenged her to write an 'autobiography as literature.' She was reluctant — she didn't believe anyone wanted her story — and then she wrote one of the most widely read American memoirs of the 20th century.