it was rooted in a true story, but story of margaret garner, and what i found really fascinating waser, it was so important that you did not make a judgment that this woman would have preferred to have murdered her own children than to have them go back into slavery. have them go back into slavery. yeah, i remember in the newspaper article where i first saw the story of margaret garner that the mother—in—law said that she couldn'tjudge her. i thought... everybody decided she was insane, since she killed her children. but she is very calm, very resolute. and i thought, "well, suppose my children, if i put myself "in that place, i could notjudge." i realised the only person who had the right tojudge her, and that would be the dead child. she would be the one to say, "well, i don't think that was a good idea," or, "i understand, ma". but whatever it was, therefore beloved, shejudges or withholds 01’ does all those things in addition tojudge, but she just wants very much to be loved by her mother. you say that on the day you were told that you had won the nobel prize for literature in 19

it was rooted in a true story, the story of margaret garner, and what i found really, really fascinatingto ask you why you think that as the writer it was so important that you didn't make a judgment, that this woman would have preferred to have murdered her own children than to have them go back into slavery. yeah, i remember in the newspaper article where i first saw the story of margaret garner, that the mother in law said that she couldn'tjudge her. and i thought, everybody decided that she was insane because she killed her children. but in the newspaper she's very calm, very resolute. and i thought, well, suppose my children. shall i put myself in that place. i could notjudge — until i realized the only person who had the right to judge her and that would be the dead child. she would be the one to say, well i think that was a good idea. oh yeah i understand, ma. therefore, beloved. that she judges or withholds or does all sorts of things you know in addition tojudge, but she just wants very much to be loved by her mother. you said that on the day that you were told that you won the

. >> i rd an article in a 19th century newspaper about a woman whose name was margaret garner. it was an article that stayed with me for a long, long time,o and seemedve in it, an extraordinary idea that was worthy of a novel,hich was this compulsion to nurture, this ferocity that a woman has to be responsible for her children, and at the se time, the kind of tensions that exist in trying to be a sepate, complete individual. >> brown: in a recent documentary film, "can the mor, the pieces i can," spoke of her role as a writer. >> i wanted to t speak to a be among it's us. so the first thing i to do was to eliminate the white gaiss.e ttle white man that sits on your shoulder and checks out everything you do and say, sort of knock him off. and you're free. now i own the world. i mean, i can write about anything to anyone, for anyone. >> brown: morrison was awarded the nobel prize for literature in 1993, the first african american woman to win. praised by the academy for her "visionary force." and she was given the presidential medal of frdom, the nation's highest civilian honor,