Nella Larsen
Full Name and Common Aliases
Nella Larsen was born as Nellie Washington on February 13, 1891. She later changed her name to Nella Larsen in 1920.
Birth and Death Dates
February 13, 1891 – March 30, 1964
Nationality and Profession(s)
Larsen's nationality is American, and she worked as a novelist, short story writer, essayist, and librarian.
Early Life and Background
Nella Larsen was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Peter and Mary Washington. Her parents were both Danish immigrants who had moved to the United States seeking better opportunities. Larsen spent her early childhood in Chicago before moving with her family to Copenhagen, Denmark, where she received a classical education. She returned to the United States as a young woman and attended Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, and later the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Major Accomplishments
Larsen's accomplishments include:
Publishing two novels: Quicksand (1928) and Passing (1929)
Writing several short stories, including "Sanctuary" and "An Illiterate Lover"
Serving as the librarian at the Tuskegee Institute in AlabamaNotable Works or Actions
Some of Larsen's most notable works include:
Quicksand: A novel that explores themes of identity, class, and racial ambiguity
Passing: A novel that examines the complexities of racial identity and social status
"Sanctuary": A short story that critiques societal expectations and norms
Impact and Legacy
Larsen's impact on literature is multifaceted:
She was one of the first African American women to publish novels in the United States
Her work addressed issues of racial identity, class, and social status, providing a platform for marginalized voices
Larsen's writing style blended elements of realism, modernism, and experimental fictionWhy They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Larsen is widely quoted and remembered due to:
Her thought-provoking exploration of complex themes in her novels and short stories
Her innovative use of language and literary techniques
Her contributions to the development of African American literature and feminist discourse
Today, Larsen's work continues to inspire and influence new generations of writers, readers, and thinkers.
Quotes by Nella Larsen
The cruel, unrelieved suffering had beaten down her protective wall of artificial faith in the infinite wisdom, in the mercy, of God.
Yet she had continued to try not only to teach but to befriend those happy singing children, whose charm and distinctiveness the school was so surely ready to destroy.
And she was interesting, an odd confusion of wit and intense earnestness; a vivid and remarkable person.
And yet in the short space of half an hour all of life had changed, lost its color, its vividness, its whole meaning. No, she reflected, it wasn’t that that had happened. Life about her, apparently, went on exactly as before.
Almost she wished she could die. Not quite. It wasn’t that she was afraid of death, which had, she thought, its picturesque aspects. It was rather that she knew she would not die. And death, after the debacle, would but intensify its absurdity. Also, it would reduce her, Helga Crane, to unimportance, to nothingness. Even in her unhappy present state, that did not appeal to her.
And mingled with her disbelief and resentment was another feeling, a question. Why hadn’t she spoken that day? Why, in the face of Bellew’s ignorant hate and aversion, had she concealed her own origin? Why had she allowed him to make his assertions and express his misconceptions undisputed? Why, simply because of Clare Kendry, who had exposed her to such torment, had she failed to take up the defense of the race to which she belonged?
In some strange way she was able to ignore the atmosphere of self-satisfaction which poured from him like gas from a leaking pipe.
What right, she kept demanding of herself, had Clare Kendry to expose her, or even Gertrude Martin, to such humiliation, such downright insult?
Catlike. Certainly that was the word which best described Clare Kendry, if any single word could describe her. Sometimes she was hard and apparently without feeling at all; sometimes she was affectionate and rashly impulsive. And there was about her an amazing soft malice, hidden well away until provoked. Then she was capable of scratching, and very effectively too.