Toni Morrison cancels plans to write a memoir

While speaking to students at Oberlin College near her hometown of Lorain, Ohio, Nobel laureate Toni Morrison revealed that she canceled plans to write a memoir. She had already signed a contract with her publisher to write the nonfiction book, but the 81-year-old later reneged because "there's a point at which your life is not interesting," as she put it.

Morrison stated that she'd rather continue writing fiction. Her next novel Home, about a black veteran traumatized by events of the Korean War only to feel alienated upon his return to America, will be released May 8.

Many of Morrison's fans might doubt that her life has not been "interesting." In a world in which teenagers and their parents jump at the chance to write autobiographies, do you respect her decision to withhold one more from bookshelves? Or do you think the brilliant author's life had warranted one? I would have been fascinated to learn more about the inspiration behind her novels. And I think pretty much anyone who attended Oprah's Legends Ball should write a memoir.

Follow Stephan on Twitter: @EWStephanLee

Read more:

John Irving on sexual identity and why he hates being asked if his work is autobiographical