KuZora Neale Hurston iminyaka yawo-1950 kwakuyiminyaka lapho alwela khona ukuphila. Indaba yeminyaka yakhe eyi-10 ingase izwakale njengendaba edabukisayo, kodwa ku-Virginia Lynn Moylan's Zora Neale Hurston's Final Decade (University of Florida) akunjalo neze.

 

Yiqiniso, eneminyaka engu-60 ubudala, u-Hurston - umbhali wenoveli yango-1937 ethi Amehlo Abo Ayebuka UNkulunkulu owamenza waba uphawu okokuqala nge-Harlem Renaissance ngasekupheleni kwawo-1920 - kwadingeka alwe "ukuze aziphilise" ngosizo lomphakathi. Ngesinye isikhathi wasebenza njengencekukazi e-Miami Beach's Rivo Alto Island.

 

Kodwa u-Hurston wayesakhuthele futhi ekhiqiza phakathi neminyaka yakhe yokugcina, futhi akazange agcine esenkingeni enkulu kakhulu yemibhalo (efanekiselwa ngu-Edgar Allen Poe, owashona ewumlutha wotshwala emseleni), nakuba ngo-1948 asolwa ngamanga ngokunukubeza indoda. Umfana oneminyaka engu-10 ubudala - ihlazo elacishe lamqhuba ukuba azibulale ekuqaleni kwale minyaka eyishumi edlule. (Ipasipoti yakhe yafakazela ukuthi wayeseHonduras ngesikhathi sezinsolo zobugebengu.)

 

Nakuba ayengeke akuvume lokho, u-Hurston wahlupheka ngenxa yokuthi wayemnyama futhi engowesifazane - izici ezimbili ezamvimba ukuthi akwazi ukushicilela umsebenzi wakhe. Kodwa naphezu kokulahlwa ngokuphindaphindiwe, waqhubeka ebhala, ikakhulukazi ngokucwaninga kwakhe okungokomlando ngenkosi engumHeberu uHerode.

 

Kusukela ekufeni kwakhe, idumela lika-Hurston lithole ukulungiswa okukhulu okubili. Eyokuqala kwakuyindatshana ka-1975 ka-Alice Walker kumagazini kaNks, ethi, "In Search of Zora Neale Hurston," kanti eyesibili inguqulo ye-TV ye-TV ka-2005 ethi, Eyes Eyes Were Watching God, ekhiqizwe ngu-Oprah Winfrey futhi edlala u-Halle Berry. Manje njengoba indawo ka-Hurston eqenjini elikhulu lababhali baseMelika isivikelekile, akuphatheki kahle ukumbona e-Final Decade ka-Zora Neale Hurston, egqokisa abashicileli nakubaqashi eminyakeni okufanele ngabe ujabulela ukuthatha umhlalaphansi futhi ephumula. izigqoko zakhe.

 

UMoylan, uthisha nesazi esizimele, uphawula ukuthi amanyuvesi emhlabeni wonke anezincwadi zakhe kusilabhasi, nokho akekho owamnika isikhundla sokufundisa. Ngakho waba uthisha obambele esikoleni esiphakeme sendawo eFlorida, wabhala izihloko ezizimele emaphephandabeni ayekhokha ngezikhathi ezithile futhi enyakaza njalo ngenxa yobumpofu.

 

U-Hurston wayengumuntu ongaguquki ngezindlela ezithile. Walwa noRichard Wright futhi waxabana nomngane wakhe wakudala uLangston Hughes. Zombili izingxabano zazithinta ipolitiki yabo yesokunxele kanye nokuzwelana nobukhomanisi. Njengoba u-Moylan ebonisa, u-Hurston wayezinikele kufilosofi ye-meritocratic ka-Booker T. Washington.

 

U-Hurston wayefuna abantu bakhe bazidonsele phezulu ngama-bootstrap abo. Mayelana nabamnyama abalingisa abamhlophe, wabhala ngo-1934: “Fawn ngendlela othanda ngayo. Chitha ingunaphakade umile ukhexile, kodwa size sibeke okuthile ekhoneni lakhe lomgwaqo okungeyethu, sesibuyele lapho sasikhona. lapho bekhumula amakholomu ethu ensimbi."

 

U-Hurston, isazi se-anthropologist kanye ne-folklorist, owafunda e-Barnard no-Franz Boas, u-Ruth Benedict kanye no-Margaret Mead, akazange alahlekelwe ukugxila kwakhe ekuhlukeni kwesiko lama-Afrika namaMelika. Wavumelana nezingqungquthela zokusungulwa kwemibhalo yabantu abamnyama futhi wacela abalingiswa bakhe ukuba bakhulume ngolimi olumnyama.

 

U-Hurston naye wayephikisana nezombusazwe. Wakuphikisa ngezwi elikhulu ukucwaswa kwesikole futhi, njengoba uMoylan ebhala, "wasola i-NAACP, uMongameli uDwight D. Eisenhower kanye nesinqumo sikaBrown ngalokho akubona `njengesiyaluyalu esinenzondo, esinukayo' lapho abantu abamnyama baseningizimu nabamhlophe bazithola bekhona."

 

Nokho eminyakeni edlule, ngo-1945, u-Moylan ubhala ukuthi u-Hurston wayegxekile inqubomgomo yezangaphandle yaseMelika ngokusekela "intando yeningi phesheya ngenkathi 'ebusa izwe elimnyama ngokuphelele' ngokugunyaza kwakhe uJim Crow ekhaya." Kumelwe ukuba u-Hurston wayazi kahle kamhlophe ukuthi uJim Crow wayehlobene kakhulu naleyo "manyala egcwele inzondo, nephunga elibi" kune-NAACP, kodwa ngenxa yokushisa kwempi yezintatheli akakwazanga ukukuvuma lokho. Kunalokho, walulaza umbono wesinqumo senkantolo esasizophoqelela othile ukuba azihlanganise naye ongafuni. Ubukeka engazange awucabangele umbono wabantu abavamile abafayo, okungenzeka badinge incwadi yenkantolo ukuze baye esikoleni esingcono.

 

U-Moylan uphikisa ngokuthi mayelana nemfundo, u-Hurston wayengumhlukanisi omnyama, futhi unikeza amakhasi ekuvikeleni ama-diatribes ka-Hurston ngokumelene noBrown v. Ibhodi Lezemfundo. Nakuba ekuqaleni kungase kubonakale kuxaka, lokhu empeleni kungenye yezingxenye ezihluke kakhulu zencwadi edingeka kakhulu, ekhanyisa iminyaka yokugcina, ecishe iswele yempilo yomlobi omkhulu, iminyaka ngaphambili eyayisithekile. Le minyaka ibe "inkathi engase ibonakale ingenanzuzo ngaphandle," u-Hurston wabhala encwadini ka-1957. "Kodwa . Ngikhule ngendlela emangalisayo njengengcweti yokudala. Angithandi izinto ezibonakalayo. Uma kwenzeka ngifa ngingenayo imali, othile uzongingcwaba, nakuba ngingafisi ukuba kube kanjalo."

 

Futhi ngoJan. 28, 1960, u-Hurston washonela e-St. Lucie County Welfare Home.

 

U-Eve Ottenberg usanda kushicilela inoveli ethi, Ufile e-Iraq (i-Plain View Press, 2008), futhi ubhale ukubuyekezwa kwezincwadi ku-New York Times Book Review, i-Vanity Fair, isigaba saseNew Yorker esithi "In Brief", iLanga laseBaltimore, e-USA Namuhla, The Nation, The Washington City Paper, The Washington Post namanye amaphephandaba nomagazini abaningi.

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