Zora Neale Hurston celebrated with Google Doodle

In recognition of what would have been her 123rd birthday, Harlem Renaissance author Zora Neale Hurston was recognized on Tuesday in a Google Doodle.

Hurston, who is probably best known for penning “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” died in 1960 in a Florida welfare center. Even though she was a well-known figure in some circles while she was alive, Hurston’s contributions were more widely recognized following her death.

Hurston, who studied anthropology and folklore in the black communities of the southern U.S. and the Caribbean, wrote four novels and published more than 50 stories, essays and plays.

Sophia Foster-Dimino created the Google Doodle because she was inspired by the author’s legacy. “She brought an incredible wealth of witty, heartfelt prose to our literary history,” Foster-Dimino said on Tuesday. “We're overjoyed to celebrate her life and accomplishments today.”

Professor Carla Kaplan of Wellesley College, who wrote Zora Neale Hurston: A Life in Letters, said that Hurston would have been "so tickled" to be honored by the world’s largest Internet search engine. “She was a very private woman who loved publicity.”

Kaplan said the African-American author "would have loved being celebrated by today's Google Doodle; her email, Facebook and Twitter pages would have been flying." She added that "Hurston was, in her own terms, 'bodacious' -- bold, pioneering, and always brave about stepping into the public sphere."

Due to the fact that the majority of Hurston’s books were published during the Great Depression, the largest royalty she earned on any of them was $943.75.

“She was always more interested in recognition than she was with money,” Kaplan said.

[Los Angeles Times] [New York Daily News]