author
Oscar Micheaux
1884–1951
A pioneering author and filmmaker, Oscar Micheaux transformed his experiences as a Black homesteader into novels and groundbreaking films. His independent career made him one of the most important African American storytellers of the early 20th century.
3 Audiobooks
The homesteader : a novel
by Oscar Micheaux
The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Pioneer
by Oscar Micheaux
The Forged Note: A Romance of the Darker Races
by Oscar Micheaux
About the author
Born in 1884 in Metropolis, Illinois, Oscar Micheaux was the son of formerly enslaved parents. He later moved west to South Dakota, where he became a homesteader—an experience that inspired his first novel, The Conquest, published in 1913.
Micheaux went on to build an independent career in both literature and film. He adapted his own writing for the screen and produced more than 40 films, including The Homesteader (1919) and The Exile (1931), widely regarded as the first Black-cast feature film with sound.
Known for tackling race, ambition, migration, and social prejudice, Micheaux worked outside Hollywood’s studio system and opened new possibilities for Black artists and audiences. He died in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1951.