Nella Larsen author page

Nella Larsen biography

Nella Larsen was an American novelist and short story writer associated with the Harlem Renaissance. She was born in Chicago and attended Fisk University before studying nursing at Lincoln Hospital in New York. Larsen later worked as a nurse and librarian, including at the New York Public Library, where she became the first African American woman to graduate from its library school.

Larsen’s literary career began in the 1920s. Her first novel, Quicksand, was published in 1928 by Alfred A. Knopf. The novel explores themes of racial identity and the experiences of a mixed-race woman in the United States and Denmark. In 1929, Larsen published her second novel, Passing, also with Alfred A. Knopf. Passing examines the lives of two African American women who can “pass” as white, focusing on issues of race, gender, and class in 1920s Harlem.

Larsen also wrote short fiction, including the story “Sanctuary,” which appeared in the magazine Forum in 1930. Her work was recognised during her lifetime, and in 1930 she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, becoming the first African American woman to receive this honour.

After the early 1930s, Larsen published little and returned to nursing. Her novels have since been reissued and studied for their contributions to American literature and the exploration of complex social themes. Passing was republished by Penguin Classics in 2020.