Toni Morrison, who didn't publish her first book until she was almost 40, penned roughly a dozen novels, most lauded among them 1987's "Beloved," about a former slave who kills her baby to ensure it is never enslaved. "Beloved" won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and was a finalist for the National Book Award.

Her books gazed unflinchingly on the lives of African Americans and told their stories with a singular lyricism. Her talent for intertwining the stark realities of black life with hints of magical realism and breathtaking prose gained Morrison a loyal literary following.

Themes such as slavery, misogyny, colorism and supernaturalism came to life in her hands.

Her non-fiction work included 1974's collection of African-American historical ephemera "The Black Book," 1992's "Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination" and 2004's "Remember: The Journey to School Integration."