The Resume

(December 26, 1894-March 30, 1967)
Born in Washington, District of Columbia
Birth name was Nathan Pinchback Toomer
Best known for the short-story cycle 'Cane' (1923)

Why he might be annoying:

He attended six colleges without completing a degree.
He wrote little fiction after 'Cane.'
He disliked being included with the Harlem Renaissance.
He dabbled briefly in Scientology.
He largely withdrew from society after joining the Quaker church (1940).

Why he might not be annoying:

His first name was changed from Nathan to Eugene after his father -- who he had originally been named after -- abandoned the family.
He was criticized for miscegenation when he married two white women, although his ancestry was more white than black and his appearance was ambiguous enough that census takers classified him as white in 1930 and 1940.
He preferred to identify himself as just 'American' rather than by any race.
His first wife, author Margery Latimer, died shortly after giving birth to their daughter (1932).
Alice Walker said of 'Cane,' 'I love it passionately, could not possibly exist without it.'

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Born on Boxing Day [Deceber 26] (Ranked: 1894)
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 84]
• Chocolate Milk [Bi-racial - Black and White]
• Harlem Renaissance
• I am a Quaker
• I Attended City College of New York
• I Attended NYU
• I Attended University of Chicago
• I Died in 1967 (Ranked: 72)
• I Married Outside My Race
• Look at My Typewriter
• Profiles 53001-53250 (Ranked: 53017)
• Recluses

Year In Review:

In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying