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Ta-Nehisi Coates

ター・ネイシス・コーツ

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1975-09-30 （Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Atheism
Residence History
Baltimore (childhood) → Harlem, New York → Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn (brownstone purchased 2016)

Career

Occupations
Author, Journalist, Activist, Comic book writer
Active Years
1999-
Affiliations
The Atlantic (former senior editor, national correspondent), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MLK Visiting Scholar 2012–2014), CUNY Graduate School of Journalism (journalist-in-residence), New York University (Distinguished Writer in Residence), Howard University (Writer-in-Residence, Sterling Brown chair)
Memberships
Phi Beta Kappa
Influenced By
W. Paul Coates (father), Richard Wright

Education

Howard University
Period: 1990年代（途中で退学）
Country: United States
Attended for five years but did not complete a degree; left to pursue journalism
Middlebury College (intensive French program)
Period: 2014（短期集中）
Year of Graduation: 2014
Country: United States
Short intensive program to prepare for a writing fellowship in Paris

Awards

Hillman Prize (Opinion & Analysis Journalism)
2012
Category: Opinion & Analysis Journalism
Organization: Sidney Hillman Foundation
Result: winner
National Magazine Award (Essays & Criticism)
2013
Work: Fear of a Black President
Category: Essays & Criticism
Organization: American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME)
Result: winner
George Polk Award (Commentary)
2014
Work: The Case for Reparations
Category: Commentary
Organization: George Polk Awards
Result: winner
National Book Award for Nonfiction
2015
Work: Between the World and Me
Category: Nonfiction
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: winner
MacArthur Fellowship
2015
Organization: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Result: fellow
Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction
2015
Work: Between the World and Me
Category: Nonfiction
Organization: Kirkus Reviews
Result: winner
Harriet Beecher Stowe Center Prize for Writing to Advance Social Justice
2015
Work: The Case for Reparations
Organization: Harriet Beecher Stowe Center
Result: winner
Dayton Literary Peace Prize (Nonfiction)
2018
Work: We Were Eight Years in Power
Category: Nonfiction
Organization: Dayton Literary Peace Prize
Result: winner
Eisner Award (Best Limited Series)
2018
Work: Black Panther: World of Wakanda (co-writer)
Category: Comics
Organization: Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards
Result: winner
GLAAD Media Award (Outstanding Comic Book)
2018
Work: Black Panther: World of Wakanda
Category: Comics
Organization: GLAAD
Result: winner
British Fantasy Society Sydney J. Bounds Award
2020
Work: The Water Dancer
Category: Fantasy / Fiction
Organization: British Fantasy Society
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Beautiful Struggle

2008 Memoir

A memoir about growing up in West Baltimore, the influence of his father and family, and the social environment that shaped him.

fatherhoodcoming-of-ageurban life
Translations
  • The Beautiful Struggle (translated)

Between the World and Me

2015 Essay / Epistolary nonfiction

Written as a letter to his son, the book examines race, violence, the body, and the African-American experience in the United States.

raceviolencethe bodymemory
Translations
  • Between the World and Me

We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy

2017 Essay collection / Nonfiction

A collection of previously published and new essays reflecting on the Obama era, politics, and race in America.

politicsracehistory
Translations
  • We Were Eight Years in Power (translated)

The Water Dancer

2019 Novel / Magical realism

A novel set in the era of slavery that centers on memory and a supernatural ability called 'conduction' used by the protagonist Hiram Walker to travel and seek freedom.

slaverymemoryfreedom
Adaptations
  • [Book club selection (Oprah's Book Club)] The Water Dancer (Oprah's Book Club selection)
Translations
  • The Water Dancer

The Message

2024 Nonfiction / Travel and political commentary

Reflects on visits to Dakar, Chapin (South Carolina), and the West Bank and East Jerusalem, discussing occupation, race, and moral questions.

occupationraceinternational affairs
Translations
  • The Message

Bibliography

  • Asphalt Sketches (1990)
  • The Beautiful Struggle (2008)
  • Between the World and Me (2015)
  • We Were Eight Years in Power (2017)
  • The Water Dancer (2019)
  • The Message (2024)

Adaptations

  • Wrong Answer (film adaptation of Rachel Aviv's article; Coates attached to adapt)
  • New Superman feature (script by Coates; in development with DC / Warner Bros.)
  • America in the King Years (TV project for HBO, producing involvement)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyric, essayistic prosesharp social and political critiqueuse of epistolary/personal-address forms
Recurring Motifs
race and corporealitymemory and historyfather-son relationshipurban life and community

Legacy

One of the most influential voices on race in contemporary America. Active across journalism, nonfiction, fiction, and comics, Coates has significantly shaped public debate.

Academic Societies

  • Phi Beta Kappa (associated)

In Popular Culture

  • Influence on pop culture through writing for Marvel's Black Panther and Captain America
  • Impact on academic and public discourse via Between the World and Me and The Case for Reparations

Trivia

  • His father, W. Paul Coates, founded Black Classic Press, and Coates grew up surrounded by publishing and books.
  • Between the World and Me, written as a letter to his son, won the 2015 National Book Award.
  • Wrote for Marvel Comics' Black Panther series and received recognition within the comics industry.