Maya Angelou, American poet, memoirist, and actress whose several volumes of autobiography explore the themes of economic, racial, and sexual oppression. She is perhaps best known for her autobiographical work I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969). Learn more about Angelou’s life and works in this article.
Maya Angelou, original name Marguerite Annie Johnson, (born April 4, 1928, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. died May 28, 2014, Winston-Salem, North Carolina), American poet, memoirist, and actress whose several volumes of autobiography explore the themes of economic, racial, and sexual oppression. Although born in St. Louis, Angelou spent much of her childhood in the care of her paternal grandmother in rural Stamps, Arkansas. When she was not yet eight years old, she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend and told of it, after which he was murdered; the traumatic sequence of events left her almost completely mute for several years. This