Malcolm X, The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Anna Hartnell (Birkbeck, University of London)

Ed. by Christopher Hugh Gair, University of Glasgow
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.5: African American Writing and Culture of the United States.
Vol. editors: Philathia Bolton (University of Akron), Patrick Chura (University of Akron), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), A Yemisi Jimoh (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1965

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Non-Fiction
- Autobiography (literary)

Resources

The Autobiography of Malcolm X is now widely recognized as a major landmark in American literature, and considered essential reading for anyone interested in African American literature, culture and politics. The text is the product of collaboration between Malcolm X, the controversial black nationalist leader who rose to prominence in the early 1960s, and the writer and journalist Alex Haley. It tells the remarkable story of Malcolm X’s personal, religious and political transformations, and is the most comprehensive text we have for understanding and interpreting Malcolm X’s life and work.

One only need glance at the contents page to realize that the text’s structure will bear out Malcolm’s sense that “my w…

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

2808 words

Citation: Hartnell, Anna. "The Autobiography of Malcolm X". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 January 2009 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1543, accessed 24 November 2024.]

Save this article