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Dorothy
West (1907-1998)
 Although
Dorothy West never married or had children, she leaves a legacy
of wisdom, grace, and style. The daughter of an emancipated slave,
Dorothy West was born in Boston in 1907. She died August 16, 1998
at the age of ninety-one. She began her writing career at the age
of seven when she wrote her first story. She gained recognition
when her story, The Typewriter, tied for second place with a story
by Zora Neale Hurston in a contest sponsored by the New York based
Opportunity, a journal published by the National Urban League.
While Ms.
West lived in New York, she became part of the circle of artists
and writers who formed the Harlem Renaissance. Her major contribution
to the era was her role as publisher of the magazine, Challenge,
and later New Challenge provided a forum for African-American voices.
Although the magazines were not financial successes, they did spread
the words of young, talented African-American writers. West worked
for the WPA Federal Writers Program until the mid 1940's. Her first
book, The Living is Easy, was published in 1948. Although this novel
was well received, West was not able to get a second novel published
at that time. Therefore, she returned to journalism and lived a
quiet life for many years.
She
moved to Martha's Vineyard where a neighbor began visiting Ms. West
at her home. This neighbor, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, was an editor
for Doubleday and she enjoyed reading Dorothy's short pieces in
the Vineyard Gazette. Mrs. Onassis encouraged Ms. West to write
her second novel, The Wedding, which used Martha's Vineyard for
the setting. After this novel received favorable press, Doubleday
published, The Richer, The Poorer, a collection of West's short
stories and reminiscences. Dorothy West's works focus on people's
dreams, the obstacles they encounter, their failures and their successes.
Related Links
A Tribute
to the Long Legacy of "The Kid"
Perspectives
in American Literature
Voices
from the Gap
Harlem
Renaissance Author Dorothy West Dies at 91
American
Life Histories: Manuscripts from the WPA, 1936-1940
Dorothy
West and the Often Stifled Female Literary Voices of the Harlem
Renaissance
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