Maya Angelou Biography - (2024)

Maya Angelou (1928–2014) was a modern American poet and writer. Maya Angelou is one of America’s leading female contemporary poets. Maya Angelou also achieved much in the fields of theatre, acting, writing novels and also as a member of the Civil Rights movement.

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

– Maya Angelou from ‘Still I rise’

Short biography Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou (original name Marguerite Johnson) was born April 4, 1928, in St Louis, Missouri.

Maya Angelou Biography - (2)Maya Angelou had a turbulent childhood, but she was able to retell her experiences with great poignancy and effect in her book I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings(1969). This book is a collection of stories from her childhood, and this book made her one of the first African-American women to reach the bestsellers list. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings was also nominated for the National Book Award.

Despite the inequities of her life as a child, Maya Angelou was able to provide a positive message of humanity and hope. Maya Angelou said that “The honorary duty of a human being is to love.”

“ Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.”

From: Touched By An Angel

Maya Angelou married a South African freedom fighter and for a time lived in Cairo where she was the editor of the Arab Observer. However, in the 1960s she returned to America and played a role in the civil rights movement. She was asked to work on behalf of Presidents Carter (National Commission on the observance of International Women’s Year) and President Ford (American Revolutionary Bicentennial Advisory Council).

As well as being a poet and writer, Maya Angelou had a productive career in TV and film. She wrote several prize-winning documentaries such as Afro-Americans in the Arts.

The popularity of Maya Angelou has in large part been due to her ability to write about the many experiences of life with a vivid and engaging style that absorbs the reader. As Sidonie Ann Smith states from Southern Humanities Review:

“Her genius as a writer is her ability to recapture the texture of the way of life in the texture of its idioms, its idiosyncratic vocabulary and especially in its process of image-making.”

In the 1960s, she was active in the civil rights movement, coming into contact with both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. She was the northern leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). With Malcolm X, she helped to form the new Organization of African American Unity. She was devastated after both King and Malcolm X were assassinated in the late 1960s.

In the late 1960s, she published an influential autobiography, which spoke of her experiences growing up:I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings(1969). It is considered an important work for giving a personal voice to African American women. She went on to write seven autobiographical works.

She has also been active in film and television. Dr. Angelou wrote the Pulitzer-winning screenplay and composed the score for the 1972 film Georgia, Georgia.

After reciting a poem ‘On the Pulse of the Morning’at Bill Clinton’s inauguration, she became one of the best known African-American authors, and sales increased significantly. Her works have also received criticism for depicting sexually explicit scenes and violence. However, her books remain on many school syllabuses.

Dr. Angelou received over 50 honorary degrees and was for a time Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University.

Dr. Maya Angelou passed quietly in her home on May 28, 2014.

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan. “Biography of Maya Angelou”, Oxford, UK.www.biographyonline.net 26 Jan. 2011. Updated 26 June 2017.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou Biography - (3)

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou at Amazon

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Maya Angelou Biography - (6)People who made a difference. Men and women who made a positive contribution to the world – in the fields of politics, literature, music, activism and spirituality.

Maya Angelou Biography - (2024)

FAQs

What is a short biography of Maya Angelou? ›

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

What happened to Maya Angelou when she was 7? ›

Returning to her mother's care briefly at the age of seven, Angelou was raped by her mother's boyfriend. He was later jailed and then killed when released from jail. Believing that her confession of the trauma had a hand in the man's death, Angelou became mute for six years.

Why is Maya Angelou important to history? ›

Angelou had a broad career as a singer, dancer, actress, composer, and Hollywood's first female black director, but became famous as a writer, editor, essayist, playwright, and poet. As a civil rights activist, Angelou worked for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

What are 5 important facts about Maya Angelou? ›

Table Of Contents
  • Maya Angelou was the first Black woman to conduct a cable car in San Francisco.
  • Porgy and Bess took Maya Angelou to Europe in the 1950s.
  • Maya Angelou spoke six languages.
  • Maya Angelou didn't speak for five years in her youth.
  • Maya Angelou edited the Arab Observer.
Jun 8, 2023

Did Maya Angelou have a child at 16? ›

Whatever he missed, he himself is a great father today. He was once asked what it was like growing up in Maya Angelou's shadow, and he said, “I always thought I was in her light.” Years later, when I was married, I wanted to have more children, but I couldn't conceive. Isn't it wonderful that I had a child at 16?

What if Maya Angelou died when she was 20? ›

If Maya Angelou died when she was 20, she would've died a prostitute & single mom. If Malcolm X died when he was 20, he would've died as Detroit Red, a thief, a woman beater & drug addict. People's mistakes often lead to their great destiny.

What age did Maya stop talking? ›

At the age of eight, she was sexually abused. Her rapist was found guilty but spent only a single day in jail. After his release, he was beaten to death. Consequently, little Maya simply stopped speaking.

How many times did Maya Angelou marry? ›

Angelou married three times in her life. The first, to Greek carpenter Tosh Angelos (1949-52), the second to South African activist Vusumzi L. Make (1960-63) and the third to carpenter Paul du Feu (1973-80).

Why did Maya Angelou change her name? ›

In 1952, she married a Greek sailor named Anastasios Angelopulos. When she began her career as a nightclub singer, she took the professional name Maya Angelou, combining her childhood nickname with a form of her husband's name. Although the marriage did not last, her performing career flourished.

What did Maya Angelou suffer from? ›

After experiencing health issues for a number of years, Angelou died on May 28, 2014, at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She was 86 years old. A specific cause of death wasn't given, but Angelou's literary agent, Helen Brann, said that she had been “frail” and suffering from heart problems.

Did Maya Angelou speak six languages? ›

She spoke at least six languages. Angelou toured Europe as part of the hit opera Porgy and Bess in 1954-55, and spent time living in both Egypt and Ghana during the 1960s. As a result, she could speak French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and the West African language Fanti.

Why did Maya Angelou go mute? ›

Freeman was found guilty but was jailed for only one day. Four days after his release, he was murdered, probably by Angelou's uncles. Angelou became mute for almost five years, believing she was to blame for his death; as she stated: "I thought, my voice killed him; I killed that man, because I told his name.

Did Maya Angelou go to college? ›

Answer and Explanation: Maya Angelou did not go to college. After completing high school, Marguerite Annie Johnson gave birth to her only son, and in 1951, she married Tosh Angelos.

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