Zora Neale Hurston was a prominent African American writer, anthropologist, and filmmaker, best known for her novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God," which is considered a classic of African American literature. Hurston was a key figure of the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural and intellectual movement that took place in the 1920s and 1930s.

Hurston was born in 1891 in Alabama and grew up in Eatonville, Florida, one of the first all-Black towns in the United States. She later attended Howard University and Barnard College, where she studied anthropology and folklore. Hurston's fieldwork in the South, particularly her research on African American folk traditions, greatly influenced her writing.

In addition to her literary work, Hurston was a pioneering anthropologist, conducting research on African American culture and folklore. She traveled throughout the Southern United States and the Caribbean, collecting and documenting folk tales, songs, and traditions.

Hurston's work was not widely recognized during her lifetime, and she faced financial struggles and criticism for her unapologetic depictions of Black life. However, her writing has since been rediscovered and celebrated for its lyrical prose, vivid characters, and insightful explorations of race, gender, and identity.

Hurston's legacy continues to inspire writers and scholars today, and she is remembered as a trailblazer in African American literature and cultural studies.