I am so sorry Miss Morrison
Toni Morrisons’ passing has overwhelmed me with guilt. When Maya Angelou passed in 2014 aged 86 I experienced the same guilt.
You see, this guilt was not so much guilt as to what I had done it is more or less guilt about what I have not done.
Despite being a lover of books and a graduate of English Literature, I have not read any of Morrisons books. This is not because I have never heard of her. I think I have, unintentionally, simply ignored her. You see, Miss Morrison, that is why I am apologising. I had ample chance to consume all the American masterpieces whilst at university. My roommate and coursemate took the American Literature class. Our room would be strewn with the likes of Morrison, Angelou, Ellison and Baldwin. I, on the other hand, opted for the African Literature class, Soyinka, Achebe, Fugard.
I apologised the same way when Maya Angelou passed. After Angelou’s passing, I literally went out and begged, borrowed and bought the majority of her books and embarked on an Angelou book marathon.
It seems that history will now repeat itself. I feel that I now need to go out and acquire, amongst many, Morrisons , ‘Beloved’ ‘Colour Purple’ and ‘Sula’ and start a Morrison book marathon.
Toni Morrison has now passed and I do not have anything to say about her or her literary world. I have no doubt that she is a great author. This is evident in how social media is now inundated with her legacy. People have started to post their favorite quotes or which one of her books greatly inspired them. I have nothing.
Hopefully, by the one year anniversary of her death, I will be able to boast of having read some of her books.
So once again, ‘Sorry Miss Morrison’
TO ALL YOU LOVERS OF TONI MORRISON COULD YOU PLEASE RECOMMEND WHICH BOOKS OF MORRISON I SHOULD READ. THANK YOU.