Angelou was one of the first African-American female writers to publicly discuss her personal life, and one of the first to use herself as a central character in her books. She had also become, as reviewer Richard Long stated, 'a major autobiographical voice of the time'. America's most visible black woman autobiographer'. She was, as scholar Joanne Braxton has stated, 'without a doubt. You are fat and thin and pretty and plain, gay and straight, educated and unlettered, and I am speaking to you.Īngelou in the preface of Letter to My Daughter īy the time Letter was published, Angelou had become recognized and highly respected as a spokesperson for Blacks and women. You are Black and White, Jewish and Muslim, Asian, Spanish-speaking, Native American and Aleut. I gave birth to one child, a son, but I have thousands of daughters.

Her sixth autobiography, A Song Flung Up to Heaven (2002), was considered her final autobiography until she published her seventh autobiography, Mom & Me & Mom, in 2013, at the age of 85. In 2009, when Letter was published, Angelou had published six out of her seven installments of her series of autobiographies. She had recited her poem, ' On the Pulse of Morning', at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton in 1993, making her the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at John F. She had published several volumes of poetry, including Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie (1971), which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Letter to My Daughter is Maya Angelou's third book of essays. One reviewer found the book's essays both homespun and 'hokey'. Reviews of the book were generally positive most reviewers recognized that the book was full of Angelou's wisdom and that it read like words of advice from a beloved grandmother or aunt. Letter consists of 28 short essays, which includes a few poems and a commencement address, and is dedicated to 'the daughter she never had'.

Angelou wrote the book for the thousands of women who saw her as a mother figure, and to share the wisdom gained throughout her long life. Angelou had no daughters herself, but was inspired to write Letter as she was going through 20 years of notes and essay ideas, some of which were written for her friend Oprah Winfrey. She was recognized and highly respected as a spokesperson for black people and women, and had become 'a major autobiographical voice of the time'. By the time it was published, Angelou had written two other books of essays, several volumes of poetry, and six autobiographies. Letter to My Daughter (2009) is the third book of essays by African-American writer and poet Maya Angelou.

Letter to my daughter by maya angelou