Our 50 Favorite African-American Authors of the 20th Century

1,826 readers cast votes back in 2001 for their favorite African-American authors. Here we share the 50 authors who received the most votes, ranked by total votes received.

Help readers discover the great writers of this century by casting your vote for “Your Favorite Black Author of the 21st Century.”

Ranks 1 to 25 Ranks 26 to 50

#1

Toni Morrison

(6.24% of votes)

#2

Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston

(5.42% of votes)

#3

Maya Angelou

(4.82% of votes)

#4

J. California Cooper

J. California Cooper

(4.71% of votes)

#5

Alice Walker

(4.33% of votes)

#6

Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes

(3.94% of votes)

#7

E. Lynn Harris

(3.72% of votes)

#8

James Baldwin

(3.56% of votes)

#9

Terry McMillan

(3.23% of votes)

#10

Bebe Moore Campbell

Bebe Moore Campbell

(3.18% of votes)

#11

Richard Wright

(2.74% of votes)

#12

Walter Mosley

(2.57% of votes)

#13

Eric Jerome Dickey

Eric Jerome Dickey

(2.52% of votes)

#14

Sheneska Jackson

Sheneska Jackson

(2.41% of votes)

#15

Octavia Butler

(2.19% of votes)

#16

Alex Haley

(2.08% of votes)

#17

Ralph Ellison

(2.03% of votes)

#18

Gloria Naylor

(1.86% of votes)

#19

Iyanla Vanzant

(1.53% of votes)

#20

Omar Tyree

(1.53% of votes)

#21

Albert French

(1.48% of votes)

#22

Connie Briscoe

(1.42% of votes)

#23

Ernest Gaines

(1.42% of votes)

#24

Nikki Giovanni

(1.42% of votes)

#25

Chester Himes

(1.31% of votes)

Next: Ranks 26-50 »