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Ntozake Shange ( ;〔(Ntozake Shange Biography (1948–), Film Reference )〕 born October 18, 1948) is an American playwright, and poet.〔Lester,N: "At the Heart of Shange's Feminism: An Interview", Black American Literature Forum, 24(4): 717–730〕 As a self-proclaimed black feminist, she addresses issues relating to race and feminism in much of her work. Shange is best known for the Obie Award-winning play ''for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf''. She has also written several novels including ''Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo'', ''Liliane'', and ''Betsey Brown'', a novel about an African-American girl who runs away from home. Among her honors and awards are fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Fund, and a Pushcart Prize. Shange lives in Brooklyn, New York.〔Felicia R. Lee, ("A Writer’s Struggles, on and Off the Page," ) ''New York Times'', September 17, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2010.〕 ==Early life== Shange was born Paulette L. Williams〔 in Trenton, New Jersey〔http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~cybers/shange2.html〕 to an upper-middle-class family. Her father, Paul T. Williams, was an Air Force surgeon, and her mother, Eloise Williams, was an educator and a psychiatric social worker. When she was aged 8, Shange's family moved to the racially segregated city of St. Louis. As a result of the Brown v. Board of Education court decision, Shange was bused to a white school where she endured racism and racist attacks. Shange's family had a strong interest in the arts and encouraged her artistic education. Among the guests at their home were Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Chuck Berry, and W. E. B. Du Bois. From an early age, Shange took an interest in poetry. While growing up with her family in Trenton, Shange attended poetry readings with her sister. These poetry readings fostered an early interest for Shange in the South in particular, and the loss it represented to young Black children who migrated to the North with their parents.〔 In 1956, Shange's family moved to St. Louis, Missouri where Shange was sent several miles away from home to a non-segregated school that allowed her to receive "gifted" education.〔 While attending this non-segregated school, Shange faced overt racism and harassment. These experiences would later go on to heavily influence her work.〔 When Shange was 13, she returned to New Jersey, where she graduated from Trenton Central High School. In 1966 Shange enrolled at Barnard College in New York City. During her time at Barnard, Shange met fellow Barnard student and would be poet, Thulani Davis. The two poets would later go on to collaborate on various works.〔 She graduated ''cum laude'' in American Studies, then earned a master's degree in the same field from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. However, Shange's college years were not all pleasant. She married during her first year in college, but the marriage did not last long. Depressed over her separation and with a strong sense of bitterness and alienation, she attempted suicide.〔(Lynette Holloway, "Interview With An Author: Ntozake Shange Returns to the Spotlight With Epic Novel and Film Adaptation of Groundbreaking 'For Colored Girls'", BV on Books, October 15 2010. )〕 In 1971, having come to terms with her depression and alienation, Shange changed her name. In Xhosa, ''Ntozake'' means "she who has her own things" (literally "things that belong to her") and ''Shange'' means "he/she who walks/lives with lions" (meaning "the lion's pride" in Zulu).〔Kimberly J. McLarin. ("At Home with Ntozake Shange" ). The New York Times. 24 November 1994.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ntozake Shange」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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