During her lifetime, Zora Neale Hurston was praised for her writing but condemned for her independence and audacity. Her work fell into obscurity until the 1970s, when Alice Walker rediscovered Hurston’s unmarked grave and anthologized her writing, establishing her as an intellectual leader for future generations of black writers. A testament to the power and breadth of Hurston’s oeuvre, the newest edition of this enduring text features a new preface by Walker.