While the book is entitled The Autobiography of Malcolm X
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
The Autobiography of Malcolm X was published in 1965, the result of a collaboration between human rights activist Malcolm X and journalist Alex Haley. Haley coauthored the autobiography based on a series of in-depth interviews he conducted between 1963 and Malcolm X's 1965 assassinati…
What was Malcolm X real name?
Malcolm X, original name Malcolm Little, Muslim name el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, (born May 19, 1925, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.—died February 21, 1965, New York, New York), African American leader and prominent figure in the Nation of Islam who articulated concepts of race pride and Black nationalism in the early 1960s.
What was Malcolm X early life like?
What was Malcolm X’s early life like? Malcolm X was born in 1925 as Malcolm Little. His father was killed while Malcolm was still very young, possibly by white supremacists. His mother was institutionalized for mental health issues, and the children of the family were dispersed among foster homes or the homes of relatives.
What nationality is Malcolm X?
Malcolm X’s nationality was American and Taurus was his zodiac sign. He had a great reformation in his personal life that got reflected in his career as a leader and a speaker. Malcolm X met his love of life Betty Sanders in 1955, during his lectures at the ‘Nation of Islam’ meetings.
Where was Malcolm X born and raised?
Malcolm X was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 19, 1925, and died in 1965. As one of eight children raised by his preacher father and his homemaker mother, Louise Little, he was a staunch supporter of Black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey and a member of the local chapter of the Universal Negro Improvement Association.
When did Malcolm X publish his Autobiography?
October 29, 1965The Autobiography of Malcolm X / Originally published
What is Malcolm X's Autobiography called?
The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley: Malcolm X, Alex Haley, Attallah Shabazz: 9789990065169: Amazon.com: Books.
Who wrote The Autobiography of Malcolm X?
Malcolm XAlex HaleyThe Autobiography of Malcolm X/Authors
Does Malcolm X have an Autobiography?
The Autobiography of Malcolm X, biography, published in 1965, of the American Black militant religious leader and activist who was born Malcolm Little.
What is the purpose of an autobiography?
The purpose of an autobiography is to portray the life experiences and achievements of the author. Therefore, most autobiographies are typically written later in the subject's life. It's written from the point of view of the author, so it typically uses first person accounts to describe the story.
What is significant about the incident that opens Malcolm's autobiography?
The Autobiography is a spiritual conversion narrative that outlines Malcolm X's philosophy of black pride, black nationalism, and pan-Africanism. After the leader was killed, Haley wrote the book's epilogue. [a] He described their collaborative process and the events at the end of Malcolm X's life.
How did Malcolm X see his autobiography?
Convinced that he would not live much longer, Malcolm X saw his Autobiography as a chance to shape the way he would be perceived by posterity; the book's final pages show an acute awareness of how others would try to label him. But no man can completely control his own legacy, particularly when he dies at age 39.
What is the significance of the autobiography of Malcolm X?
It was a literary rarity; an "autobiography" written by someone else, an intimate look into the life of an internationally known man composed during the very period he was most famous. One other thing set The Autobiography of Malcolm X apart: its subject would not live to see book published — just as he had predicted.
What did Malcolm's book progress to?
Where at first he had specified that all proceeds would go to the Nation, he asked Haley to change that so they would now flow either to Malcolm's new organization, the Muslim Mosque Incorporated, or, if he died, to his wife.
Who reads Malcolm's story in Telling the Tale?
Telling the Tale. Then Haley, who had noticed how Malcolm often scribbled thoughts on any handy piece of paper, read something Malcolm had written on a napkin and asked him about it. Malcolm started to talk more freely, and he opened up further when Haley asked one night about Malcolm's mother.
Where did Malcolm visit Haley's studio?
Malcolm would visit Haley's studio in Greenwich Village for several hours at a stretch, Haley taking down what Malcolm had to say, ...
Who was approached by a publisher interested in getting the story of Malcolm X's life?
In 1963 Haley was approached by a publisher interested in getting the story of Malcolm X's life, and although both men agreed to the project, in Haley's words, "we got off to a very poor start.". Malcolm was stiff and formal, spouting propaganda while revealing little of himself.
Who said "I am Malcolm X"?
But no man can completely control his own legacy, particularly when he dies at age 39. At the end of Spike Lee's 1992 biopic of Malcolm, Nelson Mandela presides over a classroom of children declaring, "I am Malcolm X.".
What is the autobiography of Malcolm X?
The Autobiography is a spiritual conversion narrative that outlines Malcolm X's philosophy of black pride, black nationalism, and pan-Africanism. Literary critic Arnold Rampersad and Malcolm X biographer Michael Eric Dyson agree that the narrative of the Autobiography resembles the Augustinian approach to confessional narrative. Augustine's Confessions and The Autobiography of Malcolm X both relate the early hedonistic lives of their subjects, document deep philosophical change for spiritual reasons, and describe later disillusionment with religious groups their subjects had once revered. Haley and autobiographical scholar Albert E. Stone compare the narrative to the Icarus myth. Author Paul John Eakin and writer Alex Gillespie suggest that part of the Autobiography ' s rhetorical power comes from "the vision of a man whose swiftly unfolding career had outstripped the possibilities of the traditional autobiography he had meant to write", thus destroying "the illusion of the finished and unified personality".
When was Malcolm X's autobiography published?
October 29, 1965 ( Grove Press) OCLC. 219493184. The Autobiography of Malcolm X was published in 1965, the result of a collaboration between human rights activist Malcolm X and journalist Alex Haley. Haley coauthored the autobiography based on a series of in-depth interviews he conducted between 1963 and Malcolm X's 1965 assassination.
What is the narrative shape of Malcolm X?
The narrative shape crafted by Haley and Malcolm X is the result of a life account "distorted and diminished" by the "process of selection", Rampersad suggests, yet the narrative's shape may in actuality be more revealing than the narrative itself.
How many copies of Malcolm X's autobiography have been sold?
According to The New York Times, the paperback edition sold 400,000 copies in 1967 and 800,000 copies the following year . The Autobiography entered its 18th printing by 1970.
What is the book of Malcolm X about?
Published posthumously, The Autobiography of Malcolm X is an account of the life of Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little (1925–1965), who became a human rights activist. Beginning with his mother's pregnancy, the book describes Malcolm's childhood first in Omaha, Nebraska and then in the area around Lansing and Mason, Michigan, the death of his father under questionable circumstances, and his mother's deteriorating mental health that resulted in her commitment to a psychiatric hospital. Little's young adulthood in Boston and New York City is covered, as well as his involvement in organized crime. This led to his arrest and subsequent eight- to ten-year prison sentence, of which he served six-and-a-half years (1946–1952). The book addresses his ministry with Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam (1952–1963) and his emergence as the organization's national spokesman. It documents his disillusionment with and departure from the Nation of Islam in March 1964, his pilgrimage to Mecca, which catalyzed his conversion to orthodox Sunni Islam, and his travels in Africa. Malcolm X was assassinated in New York's Audubon Ballroom in February 1965, before they finished the book. His co-author, journalist Alex Haley, summarizes the last days of Malcolm X's life, and describes in detail their working agreement, including Haley's personal views on his subject, in the Autobiography ' s epilogue.
How did Malcolm X and Haley collaborate?
The collaboration between Malcolm X and Haley took on many dimensions; editing, revising and composing the Autobiography was a power struggle between two men with sometimes competing ideas of the final shape for the book. Haley "took pains to show how Malcolm dominated their relationship and tried to control the composition of the book", writes Rampersad. Rampersad also writes that Haley was aware that memory is selective and that autobiographies are "almost by definition projects in fiction", and that it was his responsibility as biographer to select material based on his authorial discretion. The narrative shape crafted by Haley and Malcolm X is the result of a life account "distorted and diminished" by the "process of selection", Rampersad suggests, yet the narrative's shape may in actuality be more revealing than the narrative itself. In the epilogue Haley describes the process used to edit the manuscript, giving specific examples of how Malcolm X controlled the language.
What is the book The Autobiography about?
The Autobiography is a spiritual conversion narrative that outlines Malcolm X's philosophy of black pride, black nationalism, and pan-Africanism. After the leader was killed, Haley wrote the book's epilogue. He described their collaborative process and the events at the end of Malcolm X's life.
Who was Malcolm X's father?
His father, Reverend Earl Little, was a Baptist minister and an organizer for Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association, a black separatist "back-to-Africa" group of the 1920s. Most of Malcolm's early life was spent in and about Lansing, Michigan, where the family lived on a farm.
Where was Malcolm X born?
Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 19, 1925; he dropped the "slave name" Little and adopted the initial X (representing an unknown) when he became a member of the Nation of Islam. Malcolm was the seventh of his father's nine children — three by a previous marriage — and his mother's fourth child. His father, Reverend Earl Little, was a Baptist minister and an organizer for Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association, a black separatist "back-to-Africa" group of the 1920s.
Why did Elijah Muhammad withdraw his support from Malcolm?
Malcolm's sudden notoriety had unexpected results; Elijah Muhammad, fearful of his growing influence, began to withdraw his support of Malcolm. At the same time, Malcolm began to hear rumors that Elijah Muhammad had been violating the moral codes of the Nation of Islam by committing adultery. The rift between the two men gradually grew wider and finally resulted in Malcolm's being silenced and his ultimate suspension from the organization.
What was Reginald's plan for Malcolm?
He later saw this as an instance of Allah, the God of Islam, working his will. Reginald's plan was to enlist Malcolm as a member of the Nation of Islam, popularly known as the "Black Muslims.".
How long was Malcolm X in prison?
He was caught and sentenced to ten years in prison. During his seven years in prison (1946-52), Malcolm underwent a great change. He was greatly influenced by a prisoner called Bimbi, a self-educated man who convinced Malcolm of the value of education.
What grade did Malcolm X go to school?
At the detention home, he received favored treatment (as a "mascot" of the white couple who operated the home), and rather than being sent on to reform school, he remained in the home through the eighth grade. In junior high school, Malcolm became an outstanding student and was very popular with his schoolmates.
Why did Malcolm return to Boston?
Late in 1953, Malcolm returned to Boston to organize a Black Muslim temple there , and in 1954, he was sent to Philadelphia; as a reward for his speed and diligence in organizing the temple there, he was appointed minister of Temple Seven in Harlem.
Who edited Malcolm X's autobiography?
The manuscript for the then-unpublished "Autobiography of Malcolm X" shows the push and pull of editing between Malcolm X and Alex Haley, his collaborator. It was sold at Guernsey's Auctions House in New York, July 25, 2018. Jeenah Moon/The New York Times/Redux.
What chapter was left out of Malcolm X's autobiography?
The Explosive Chapter Left Out of Malcolm X’s Autobiography. Its title—'The Negro'—seemed innocuous enough. But the revolutionary civil-rights leader intended it to invoke a much harsher meaning. Its title—'The Negro'—seemed innocuous enough. But the revolutionary civil-rights leader intended it to invoke a much harsher meaning.
How many pages are there in the book The Negro?
In July 2018, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture sent shockwaves through the history community when it placed the winning bid on an unpublished, 25-page typed chapter called “The Negro” that had been excluded from The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Also part of their purchase: a 241-page manuscript of the full book, ...
What did Malcolm and Haley want to do in the book?
Right. This was the beginning of the tension between them over the book. Malcolm wanted to offer analysis of the community’s politics. Haley wanted to tell a story.
What was Malcolm's mother's name in the book?
Malcolm’s notes, meanwhile, are mostly factual corrections. The turning point came when Haley asked Malcolm about his mother, Louise Little. She had suffered a breakdown after his father’s death and was institutionalized, and Malcolm had not seen her for 20-some years.
What does Malcolm X not acknowledge?
But what he doesn’t acknowledge is that there actually was a black migration experience—from the rural south to the urban north in search of jobs and opportunity. Like with immigrants who came to the U.S., it was very aspirational. Malcolm ignores the history of black American success and triumph, their migration north, their independent black towns and their businesses and their benevolent societies. He doesn’t talk about black success. Yes, many of these efforts were stymied and undercut by violence and systemic racism. But this argument Malcolm is making is really harsh. Maybe he’s saying it to shock people into action.
What did people think of the documents that were a part of Malcolm's story?
These documents had become legendary for people who studied Malcolm. People thought these maybe held the keys to unlocking the direction Malcolm was going in and what he was really thinking, what his ideas really were. Some thought these would be part of the finishing of his story, which was cut short by his assassination at age 39 .
Overview
Construction
Haley coauthored The Autobiography of Malcolm X, and also performed the basic functions of a ghostwriter and biographical amanuensis, writing, compiling, and editing the Autobiography based on more than 50 in-depth interviews he conducted with Malcolm X between 1963 and his subject's 1965 assassination. The two first met in 1959, when Haley wrote an article about the Nation of Isla…
Summary
Published posthumously, The Autobiography of Malcolm X is an account of the life of Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little (1925–1965), who became a human rights activist. Beginning with his mother's pregnancy, the book describes Malcolm's childhood first in Omaha, Nebraska and then in the area around Lansing and Mason, Michigan, the death of his father under questionable circumstances, and his mother's deteriorating mental health that resulted in her commitment to a psychiatric …
Genre
The Autobiography is a spiritual conversion narrative that outlines Malcolm X's philosophy of black pride, black nationalism, and pan-Africanism. Literary critic Arnold Rampersad and Malcolm X biographer Michael Eric Dyson agree that the narrative of the Autobiography resembles the Augustinian approach to confessional narrative. Augustine's Confessions and The Autobiography of Malcolm X both relate the early hedonistic lives of their subjects, document deep philosophical c…
Legacy and influence
Eliot Fremont-Smith, reviewing The Autobiography of Malcolm X for The New York Times in 1965, described it as "extraordinary" and said it is a "brilliant, painful, important book". Two years later, historian John William Ward wrote that the book "will surely become one of the classics in American autobiography". Bayard Rustin argued the book suffered from a lack of critical analysis, which h…
Citations
1. ^ "Books Today". The New York Times. October 29, 1965. p. 40.
2. ^ Marable, Manning (2005). "Rediscovering Malcolm's Life: A Historian's Adventures in Living History" (PDF). Souls. 7 (1): 33. doi:10.1080/10999940590910023. S2CID 145278214. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
3. ^ "Required Reading: Nonfiction Books". Time. June 8, 1998. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
Sources
• Andrews, William, ed. (1992). African-American Autobiography: A Collection of Critical Essays (Paperback ed.). Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-0-13-019845-7.
• Bloom, Harold (2008). Bloom's Guides: Alex Haley's The Autobiography of Malcolm X (Hardcover ed.). New York: Chelsea House Pub. ISBN 978-0-7910-9832-5.
Further reading
• Baldwin, James (1992). One Day, When I Was Lost: A Scenario Based on Alex Haley's "The Autobiography of Malcolm X". New York: Dell. ISBN 978-0-307-27594-3.
• Cleage, Albert B.; Breitman, George (1968). Myths About Malcolm X: Two Views. Merit. OCLC 615819.
• Goldman, Peter (1979) [1973]. The Death and Life of Malcolm X (2nd ed.). Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-00774-3.