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''The Heart of a Woman'' (1981) is an autobiography by American writer Maya Angelou. The book is the fourth installment in Angelou's series of seven autobiographies. ''The Heart of a Woman'' recounts events in Angelou's life between 1957 and 1962 and follows her travels to California, New York City, Cairo, and Ghana as she raises her teenage son, becomes a published author, becomes active in the US civil rights movement, and becomes romantically involved with a South African freedom fighter. One of the most important themes of ''The Heart of a Woman'' is motherhood, as Angelou continues to raise her teenage son. The book ends with Angelou's son leaving for college and Angelou looking forward to newfound independence and freedom. Like Angelou's previous volumes, the book has been described as autobiographical fiction, though most critics, as well as Angelou, have characterized it as autobiography. Although most critics consider Angelou's first autobiography ''I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings'' more favorably, ''The Heart of a Woman'' has received positive reviews. It was chosen as an Oprah's Book Club selection in 1997.〔Minzesheimer, Bob (26 March 2008). ("Maya Angelou celebrates her 80 years of pain and joy". ) ''USA Today''. Retrieved 11 January 2014.〕 Critic Mary Jane Lupton says it has "a narrative structure unsurpassed in American autobiography" and that it is Angelou's "most introspective" autobiography.〔Lupton (1998), p. 118.〕 The title is taken from a poem by Harlem Renaissance poet Georgia Douglas Johnson, which connects Angelou with other female African-American writers. African-American literature critic Lyman B. Hagen states, "Faithful to the ongoing themes of survival, sense of self, and continuing education, ''The Heart of a Woman'' moves its central figures to a point of full personhood".〔Lupton (1998), p. 117.〕 The book follows Angelou to several places in the US and Africa, but the most important journey she describes is "a voyage into the self".〔Lupton (1998), p. 119.〕 ==Background== ''The Heart of a Woman'', published in 1981, is the fourth installment of Maya Angelou's series of seven autobiographies. The success of her previous autobiographies and the publication of three volumes of poetry had brought Angelou a considerable amount of fame by 1981. ''And Still I Rise'', her third volume of poetry, was published in 1978 and reinforced Angelou's success as a writer. Her first volume of poetry, ''Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie'' (1971), was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.〔 Writer Julian Mayfield states that Angelou's work set a precedent not only for other Black women writers, but for the genre of autobiography as a whole.〔Als, Hilton. (05 August 2002). ("Songbird: Maya Angelou Takes Another Look at Herself" ), ''The New Yorker''. Retrieved 11 January 2014.〕 Angelou had become recognized and highly respected as a spokesperson for Blacks and women through the writing of her life stories.〔("Maya Angelou". ) ''Poetry Foundation.'' Retrieved 11 January 2014.〕 It made her, as scholar Joanne Braxton stated, "without a doubt ... America's most visible black woman autobiographer".〔Braxton, Joanne M. (1999). "Symbolic Geography and Psychic Landscapes: A Conversation with Maya Angelou". In Joanne M. Braxton, ''Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: A Casebook.'' New York: Oxford University Press, p. 4. ISBN 978-0-19-511606-9.〕 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. Writer Hilton Als calls her a pioneer of self-exposure, willing to focus honestly on the more negative aspects of her personality and choices.〔 While Angelou was composing her second autobiography, ''Gather Together in My Name'', she was concerned about how her readers would react to her disclosure that she had been a prostitute.〔Lupton (1998), p. 14.〕 Her husband Paul Du Feu talked her into publishing the book by encouraging her to "tell the truth as a writer" and to "be honest about it".〔 In 1957, the year ''The Heart of a Woman'' opens, Angelou had appeared in an off-Broadway revue that inspired her first film, ''Calypso Heat Wave'', in which Angelou sang and performed her own compositions,〔Miller, John M. ("Calypso Heat Wave" ), ''Turner Classic Movies''. Retrieved 28 March 2014.〕 something she does not mention in the book. Also in 1957 and not discussed in the book, her first album, ''Miss Calypso'', was released; it was reissued as a CD in 1995.〔〔Angelou, Maya (1993), ''Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now''. New York: Random House, p. 95. ISBN 978-0-394-22363-6.〕 According to Als, Angelou sang and performed calypso music because it was popular at the time, and not to develop as an artist.〔 As described in ''The Heart of a Woman'', Angelou eventually gave up performing in favor of a career as a writer and poet. According to Chuck Foster, who wrote the liner notes in ''Miss Calypso's'' 1995 reissue, her calypso music career is "given short shrift"〔Foster, Chuck (1995). ("1995 CD liner notes by Chuck Foster". ) ''Miss Calypso'' (CD). N.Y.: Scamp Records. 7905. Retrieved 11 January 2014.〕 and dismissed in the book. 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「The Heart of a Woman」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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