Miscellaneous
Although widely read after it was published, Their Eyes Were Watching God was out of print for three decades. In the late 1960’s, the book began to have an underground following, mostly by African-American women, but it still was not recognized as a literary work worth attention. Then, in 1972, the writer Alice Walker, who was teaching the novel at Wellesley, became interested in Hurston’s life and why the novel wasn’t read any more. She did some research, and published a personal essay, “In Search of Zora Neale Hurston,” in Ms. magazine. This revived interest in the novel, and by the late 1970’s, the Zora Neale Hurston renaissance was in full bloom.
Oprah recently made a movie out of the book, claiming it to be her most treasured books of all time. Halle Berry, an acclaimed actress, played the main character Janie.