WRITER

Nella Larsen

1891 - 1964

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Nellallitea "Nella" Larsen (born Nellie Walker; April 13, 1891 – March 30, 1964) was an American novelist. Working as a nurse and a librarian, she published two novels, Quicksand (1928) and Passing (1929), and a few short stories. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Nella Larsen has received more than 633,818 page views. Her biography is available in 23 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 21 in 2019). Nella Larsen is the 6,019th most popular writer (down from 5,055th in 2019), the 9,855th most popular biography from United States (down from 7,618th in 2019) and the 743rd most popular American Writer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 630k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 43.83

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 23

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 2.06

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.82

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

Passing
Fiction, Passing (Identity), African American women
First published to critical acclaim in 1929, Passing firmly established Nella Larsen's prominence among women writers of the Harlem Renaissance. Irene Redfield, the novel's protagonist, is a woman with an enviable life. She and her husband, Brian, a prominent physician, share a comfortable Harlem town house with their sons. Her work arranging charity balls that gather Harlem's elite creates a sense of purpose and respectability for Irene. But her hold on this world begins to slip the day she encounters Clare Kendry, a childhood friend with whom she had lost touch. Clare—light-skinned, beautiful, and charming—tells Irene how, after her father's death, she left behind the black neighborhood of her adolescence and began passing for white, hiding her true identity from everyone, including her racist husband. As Clare begins inserting herself into Irene's life, Irene is thrown into a panic, terrified of the consequences of Clare's dangerous behavior. And when Clare witnesses the vibrancy and energy of the community she left behind, her burning desire to come back threatens to shatter her careful deception.
1929
Quicksand
Racially mixed people, Young women, Danish American women
Born to an indifferent white mother and an absent black father, and scorned for her dark skin, Helga Crane has long had to fend for herself. As a young woman, Helga teaches at an all-black school in the South, but even here she feels different. Moving to Harlem and eventually to Denmark, she attempts to carve out a comfortable life and place for herself, but ends up back where she started, choosing emotional freedom that quickly translates into a narrow existence.
2010
Quicksand ; and, Passing
Fiction, African American women, African American women in fiction
1986

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Nella Larsen ranks 6,019 out of 7,302. Before her are Philippa Pearce, Zsigmond Kemény, Rebecca Solnit, Luiza Pesjak, Leïla Slimani, and Chingiz Abdullayev. After her are Šatrijos Ragana, Anna J. Cooper, Dick Cavett, Andy Weir, Charles Le Goffic, and Sarah Trimmer.

Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1891, Nella Larsen ranks 263. Before her are Arnold Jackson, Irving Pichel, Harry Hebner, Petras Klimas, Katherine MacDonald, and Axel Andersen. After her are James Wilson, Reginald Denny, Robert Sjursen, Charles Coughlin, Alfred Lane, and Rowland V. Lee. Among people deceased in 1964, Nella Larsen ranks 192. Before her are C. J. Hambro, Stuart Davis, Nuriye Ulviye Mevlan Civelek, Milton Margai, Lucky Dube, and Diana Wynyard. After her are Anna J. Cooper, James Chapin, Edward Van Sloan, Adele Goldstine, Gracie Allen, and Branislav Hrnjiček.

Others Born in 1891

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Others Deceased in 1964

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Nella Larsen ranks 9,855 out of 20,380. Before her are Jonathan Gilbert (1967), Dianne Reeves (1956), Charles Hartshorne (1897), Lezley Zen (1974), Eric Christian Olsen (1977), and Valerie Brisco-Hooks (1960). After her are Richard Rush (1780), Pamela Bellwood (1951), Harvey Kurtzman (1924), Neal Morse (1960), Anna J. Cooper (1858), and Walter Bahr (1927).

Others born in United States

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Among WRITERS In United States

Among writers born in United States, Nella Larsen ranks 743. Before her are Harry Turtledove (1949), Arthur Laurents (1917), Larry Kramer (1935), Robert Coover (1932), Jacob Abbott (1803), and Rebecca Solnit (1961). After her are Anna J. Cooper (1858), Dick Cavett (1936), Andy Weir (1972), Scott Turow (1949), Kenneth Rexroth (1905), and Crane Wilbur (1886).

American born Writers

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