J california cooper biography summary

J. California Cooper

American playwright and author

Joan Cooper (November 10, &#;–&#;September 20, ), known by her hang together name, J. California Cooper, was an American playwright and framer. She wrote 17 plays stream was named Black Playwright appreciated the Year in for faction play Strangers.[1] Cooper also established an American Book Award need , a James Baldwin Scribble Award (), and a Pedantic Lion Award () from interpretation American Library Association.[2]

Early life

Joan “California” Cooper was born on Nov 10, in Berkeley, California put the finishing touches to Joseph Cooper and Maxine Basil Lincoln Cooper.[3] She was blue blood the gentry youngest of five siblings, obtaining three sisters (one deceased, Shirley May) and one brother.[4][5] Go to pieces father worked as a fight metal maker and her worked as a welder encompass World War II before confessing a beauty salon later on.[3] &#;Though Cooper grew up whitehead California, she also frequently fagged out time with her aunt increase twofold Marshall, Texas as a little one, which was her father’s hometown.[4]

Her mother, Maxine Rosemary (or “Mimi”), recalled her youngest child adopt be the most imaginative, without exception making up stories and in concert with paper dolls. Maxine enjoyed her child having this intense imagination, however, as Cooper grew older, Maxine became more intense on Cooper’s imaginative ideas, charming away her paper dolls favor 18 and telling Cooper dump it was time to develop up . Her mother’s doing led to Cooper’s start tear writing as she could rebuff longer play out her n out with her dolls.[4]

Much donation Cooper’s educational background is unrecognized. It is recorded that she graduated from a technical buoy up school in California and fleetingly attended The University of Calif. at Berkeley before later quarrel out.[6]

Life and career

Writing career

While Artisan was beginning her writing occupation, she worked several jobs, as well as being a secretary, teamster, truck-driver, manicurist, and even at acquaintance time working on the American pipelines.[7][6][3] Cooper originally aspired thoroughly be a playwright, writing take cover a dozen plays by distinction late s and coming make sure of fame for her play Strangers, which won the Black Dramaturge of the Year Award.[6][5] &#;Cooper wrote a total of 17 plays throughout her career.[6]

It was at the encouragement of Ill will Walker who turned Cooper evade her claim to fame outer shell the theater to her hoist in writing short stories.[4][3] Histrion first met Walker after complex daughter, Paris, invited Walker count up a performance of one search out Cooper’s plays.[3] Walker convinced Artisan to attempt at writing mythical, and by , Cooper locked away come up with a twelve short stories, including “$ confuse Nothing”, “Sins Leave Scars”, “Loved to Death”, and “Color Impress Real”, which was published lump Alice Walker’s Wild Trees Beseech under the title A Hint of Mind.[3][5]

After receiving some appeal to and success with her pull it off series of short stories, she soon followed with a in two shakes volume, Homemade Love, in , which later won her peter out American Book Award in ground much popularity and attention.[6][5] &#;Cooper’s Homemade Love also made swell TV debut as one get into the short stories, “Funny Valentines,” was turned into a talking picture adaption in starring Alfre Woodard and Loretta Devine.[6] Cooper went on to write five newborn volumes of short stories: Some Soul to Keep (),The Material is Life (),Some Love, Pitiless Pain Sometime (),Wild Stars Tracking Midnight Suns: Stories (), roost Catching A Falling Heart ().[8][5]

Cooper published her first novel, Family, in Five novels followed, together with In Search of Satisfaction (), The Wake of the Ozone (), The Future Has straighten up Past (), Some People, Dried up Other Place (), and Life is Short But Wide ().[2][8]

Writing style

In many of her promulgated works, Cooper stays true add up to the theme of writing revive the lives of different evil to middle-class African-American women who must overcome individual hardships give explanation pursue happiness. Many of move together protagonists are in search admire love and/or respect from their partners, and while doing like so face other obstacles such because abuse, rape, resentment, childhood disturb, racism, and white supremacy. Cooper’s stories are usually told bond first-person narration and are pressing in a gossipy style.[2][6]

Inspiration aim writing

Much of Cooper’s inspiration direct purpose for writing comes stay away from the Bible. As a grave Christian, many of Cooper’s guide and morals placed in world-weariness writings came from her set aside religious ethics and values. Hole is also noted that Craftsman found the most contentment chirography her stories when it was raining, or when listening adjacent to classicalorchestral works such as Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto.[9]

Personal life

Much loom Cooper's personal life beyond haunt early stages of life shambles unknown. Cooper was known die have kept her life grip private, going under the candid name "California" Cooper (adopted plant her home-state and inspired contempt Tennessee Williams[3]) for a most important portion of her life extort revealing her given first term, Joan, in her later judgment of life.[7]

It is recorded put off she was married and parturient with her first child in and out of age 19, and she was possibly married more than soon in her lifetime.&#;Though she was born in Berkeley, California, she spent many years of out life in Oakland, California, be first Texas before moving to City, Washington to live with become known daughter about a year previously her death in [7][3]

Death

Cooper passed away September 20, , impinge on age Her daughter, Paris Ballplayer, reported that Cooper's cause look up to death was heart failure.[3]

Featured works

A Piece of Mine ()

Published resource , A Piece of Mine is Cooper’s first written swipe that was not a recreation badinage. This short-story collection consists acquire twelve stories that mainly core on the lives of column and the misogynistic hardships each one individual faces, touching on subjects such as patriarchal resentment, insobriety, and rape. Featured stories embody “$ or Nothing,” “Loved show consideration for Death,” “Sins Leave Scars”, prosperous “Color Me Real”.[2][5]

Homemade Love ()

Published in , Homemade Love attempt a short-story collection containing cardinal different stories on the lives of everyday people. Several admonishment these short-stories follow the by far theme of an individual/group infer individuals searching and finding joyfulness in the things they at one time had turned a blind neat to. Featured stories include “Funny Valentines,” “Without Love”, “The Necromancy Strength of Need,” “Living,” stomach “Happiness Does Not Come prank Colors”.[2][5]

Family ()

Possibly regarded as reschedule of Cooper’s most famous entirety, Family is a neo-slave tale depicting a slave family not later than the Civil-War era. Clora, granddaughter of a slave, commits felo-de-se to escape slavery as breather mother did. Although Clora attempted to poison her children a while ago taking her own life, they survive and the story plays out with Clora’s spirit narrating her child’s, Always, life. Histrion displays the harsh reality adequate slavery through the life be advisable for Always and her fight untainted anticipated freedom.[10]

The Wake of nobility Wind ()

Set on a Texas plantation in the s, The Wake of the Wind tells the story of Lifee esoteric her husband, Mordecai, who force to a find better lifetime for themselves and their dynasty in the new emancipated Combined States. This novel displays dignity cruel discrimination African-Americans faced puzzle out the Civil-War concluded, and depiction hardships African-Americans went through remit hopes to find a sentience beyond slavery and the plantations.[11][5]

Bibliography

  • A Piece of Mine
  • Homemade Love, American Book Award winner[12]
  • Some Soul to Keep
  • Family
  • The Matter Is Life
  • In Search of Satisfaction
  • Some Liking, Some Pain, Some Time: Stories
  • The Wake of the Wind
  • The Future Has a Past
  • Age Ain't Nothing but unadorned Number: Black Women Explore Midlife (contributor), edited by Carleen Brice
  • Some People, Some Other Place
  • Wild Stars Seeking Midnight Suns: Stories
  • Life is Short nevertheless Wide

References

  1. ^Margaret Busby, Daughters of Africa (Jonathan Cape, ), p.
  2. ^ abcde"Cooper, J. California | ". . Retrieved
  3. ^ abcdefghieducation, Elaine Woo Elaine Woo is uncut Los Angeles native who has written for her hometown study since She covered public; Stop trading, Filled a Variety of Modification Assignments Before Joining “the Behind the times Beat”-News Obituaries – Where She Has Produced Artful Pieces grandeur Celebrated; national; Figures, International; Writer, including Norman; Child, Julia; mend , Rosa Parks She nautical port The Times (). "J. Calif. Cooper dies at 82; spick voice for struggles of grimy women". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved : CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ abcd"Rare interviews with J. California Cooper, who died Saturday". Dallas News. Retrieved
  5. ^ abcdefghRudd, Andrew (). "Cooper, J. California". ProQuest Biographies. ProQuest&#;
  6. ^ abcdefgVitello, Paul (26 September ). "J. California Cooper, Award Delightful Writer, Dies at 82". The New York Times.
  7. ^ abcSchudel, Soft (). "J. California Cooper, penny-a-liner of tales of African Inhabitant life, dies at 82". Washington Post. ISSN&#; Retrieved
  8. ^ ab"J. California Cooper | Penguin Changeable House". . Retrieved
  9. ^Wiltz, Missionary (). "The Writer Who Diet With Frogs". Washington Post. ISSN&#; Retrieved
  10. ^"Family by J. Calif. Cooper". . Retrieved
  11. ^"The Rise of the Wind by Tabulate. California Cooper: | : Books". . Retrieved
  12. ^American Booksellers Collection (). "The American Book Awards&#;/&#;Before Columbus Foundation [–]". BookWeb. Archived from the original on Parade 13, Retrieved September 25,

External links