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Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks

グウェンドリン・エリザベス・ブルックス

Guwendorin Erizabesu Burukkusu

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1917-06-07 （Topeka, Kansas, United States）
Died
2000-12-03 （Chicago, Illinois, United States） age 83
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Topeka (birth) → Chicago (South Side) — lifelong residence

Career

Occupations
Poet, Author, Teacher
Active Years
1930-2000
Memberships
American Academy of Arts and Letters (member)
Influenced By
Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Paul Laurence Dunbar
Influenced
Rita Dove and later generations of poets, Natasha Trethewey, Tracy K. Smith, Gregory Pardlo
Nominations
In the Mecca — nominated for the National Book Award (Poetry)

Education

Wilson Junior College (now Kennedy–King College)
Degree: Associate
Period: 1934–1936
Year of Graduation: 1936
Country: United States
Completed a two-year program; thereafter focused on writing career.

Awards

Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
1950
Work: Annie Allen
Organization: Columbia University / Pulitzer Prize
Result: 受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship (Poetry)
1946
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: 受賞
Robert Frost Medal
1989
Category: 生涯功労
Organization: Poetry Society of America
Result: 受賞
National Medal of Arts
1995
Organization: National Endowment for the Arts
Result: 受賞
Poet Laureate of Illinois
1968
Organization: State of Illinois
Result: 任命（1968–2000）
Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress
1985
Category: 1985–1986任期
Organization: Library of Congress
Result: 任命
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
1969
Work: In the Mecca
Organization: Anisfield-Wolf Foundation
Result: 受賞
Shelley Memorial Award
1976
Organization: Poetry Society of America
Result: 受賞
Langston Hughes Medal
1979
Organization: Langston Hughes Medal (awarding body)
Result: 受賞
National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters
1994
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: 受賞
Academy of American Poets Fellowship
1999
Organization: Academy of American Poets
Result: 受賞
Order of Lincoln
1997
Organization: The Lincoln Academy of Illinois
Result: 受賞
National Women's Hall of Fame
1988
Organization: National Women's Hall of Fame
Result: 殿堂入り

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

A Street in Bronzeville

1945 Poetry collection

A debut collection depicting life in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood through vivid portraits and vignettes of community life.

urban lifeBlack communitypoverty

Annie Allen

1949 Poetry collection (narrative)

A sequence of poems following a young Black girl, Annie, as she grows to womanhood; awarded the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

coming of agemotherhoodracial discrimination

Maud Martha

1953 Novella / short vignette novel

A series of vignettes tracing Maud Martha's life from childhood to adulthood, addressing race, self-image, and everyday struggles.

colorismfemale self-wortheveryday resistance

The Bean Eaters

1960 Poetry collection

A collection capturing the quiet dignity, memory, and poverty of an elderly Black couple.

memoryagingpoverty

Winnie

1988 Poetry collection

A late collection touching on personal and intimate subjects, mixing sentiment and keen observation.

personal historyfamilyobservation

In the Mecca

1968 Long poem

A long poem about a mother's search for her lost child in an apartment building, portraying urban life and community; nominated for the National Book Award.

urban fracturemotherhoodcommunity

Bibliography

  • A Street in Bronzeville (1945)
  • Annie Allen (1949)
  • Maud Martha (1953)
  • Bronzeville Boys and Girls (1956)
  • The Bean Eaters (1960)
  • We Real Cool (1960)
  • In the Mecca (1968)
  • Report from Part One: An Autobiography (1972)
  • Black Love (1982)
  • Winnie (1988)
  • Report from Part Two (1996)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
free verse incorporating blues rhythmsnarrative sequences of poemsrealist, detailed portrayals of everyday life
Recurring Motifs
urban community (Bronzeville)motherhood and familycolorismpoverty and dignity

Legacy

Gwendolyn Brooks was a poet who poignantly depicted life in Chicago's Bronzeville and became the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize (1950). She served as Poet Laureate of Illinois and U.S. Consultant in Poetry, supported younger writers through teaching and community work, and is commemorated by centers, schools, awards, and public art.

Museums

  • Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center (Western Illinois University) Macomb, Illinois, United States Opened in 1970
  • Gwendolyn Brooks Center (Chicago State University) Chicago, Illinois, United States Opened in 1990

Academic Societies

  • American Academy of Arts and Letters

Archives

  • Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois (holds Brooks archives)
  • The Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley
  • Atlanta University (letters)
  • State University of New York at Buffalo (typescript of Annie Allen)

In Popular Culture

  • Honored on a U.S. postage stamp (2012)
  • Statue 'Gwendolyn Brooks: The Oracle of Bronzeville' unveiled in Chicago (2018)
  • Multiple schools, centers and literary prizes named after her (e.g., Gwendolyn Brooks Prize for Fiction)

Quotes

  • I am an organic Chicagoan. Living there has given me a multiplicity of characters to aspire for. That's my headquarters.
    Source: 1994 interview (1994)

Trivia

  • First African American to win the Pulitzer Prize (Poetry) in 1950.
  • Served as Poet Laureate of Illinois from 1968 until her death in 2000.
  • Served as Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress (U.S. Poet Laureate) for 1985–86.