Alexander Murray Palmer Haley (August 11, 1921 – February 10, 1992) was an American writer and the author of the 1976 book Roots: The Saga of an American Family. ABC adapted the book as a television miniseries of the same name and aired it in 1977 to a record-breaking audience of 130 million viewers. In the United States, the book and miniseries raised the public awareness of black American history and inspired a broad interest in genealogy and family history.
After retiring from the U.S. Coast Guard, Haley began another phase of his journalism career. He eventually became a senior editor for Reader's Digest magazine. Haley wrote an article for the magazine about his brother George's struggles to succeed as one of the first black students at a Southern law school.
| Born | Alexander Murray Palmer Haley August 11, 1921 Ithaca, New York, United States |
|---|---|
| Died | February 10, 1992 (aged 70) Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Alma mater | Alcorn State University Elizabeth City State College |
| Spouse | Nannie Branch (1941–1964) Juliette Collins (1964–1972) Myra Lewis (1977–1992) (his death) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | US |
| Service/branch |  United States Coast Guard |
| Years of service | 1939–1959 |
| Rank |  Chief Petty Officer |
| Battles/wars | World War II Korean War |
Literary Career
After retiring from the U.S. Coast Guard, Haley began another phase of his journalism career. He eventually became a senior editor for Reader's Digest magazine. Haley authored an article for the magazine about his brother George's struggles to succeed as one of the first black students at a Southern law school.
Playboy magazine
Hugh Heifer gave Haley an opportunity to do interviews with Playboy magazine. Haley interviewed Miles Davis and Martin Luther King for the first interviews published for Playboy magazine.
Throughout the 1960s Haley had some of the magazine's most notable interviews, including one with George Lincoln Rockwell, leader of the American Nazi Party. Rockwell kept a handgun on the table throughout the interview. (The interview recreated in Roots: The Next Generations, with James Earl Jones as Haley and Marlon Brando as Rockwell.)
Haley interviewed Muhammad Ali, who spoke about changing his name from Cassius Clay, Jack Ruby's defense attorney Melvin Belli, entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr., football player Jim Brown, TV host Johnny Carson, and music producer Quincy Jones.
Super Fly T.N.T.
In 1973 Haley wrote his only screenplay, Super Fly T.N.T.. The film starred and was directed by Ron O'Neal.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
The Autobiography of Malcolm X, published in 1965, was Haley's first book. It describes the trajectory of Malcolm X's life from street criminal to national spokesman for the Nation of Islam to his conversion to Sunni Islam. It also outlines Malcolm X's philosophy of black pride, black nationalism, and pan-Africanism. Haley wrote an epilogue to the book summarizing the end of Malcolm X's life, including his assassination in New York's Audubon Ballroom.
Haley ghostwrote The Autobiography of Malcolm X based on more than 50 in-depth interviews he conducted with Malcolm X between 1963 and Malcolm X's February 1965 assassination. The two men had first met in 1960 when Haley wrote an article about the Nation of Islam for Reader's Digest. They met again when Haley interviewed Malcolm X for Playboy.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X has been a consistent best-seller since its 1965 publication. The New York Times reported that six million copies of the book had sold by 1977. In 1998 TIME magazine ranked The Autobiography of Malcolm X as one of the 10 most influential nonfiction books of the 20th century.
In 1966 Haley received the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
Roots
In 1976 Haley published Roots: The Saga of an American Family, a novel based on his family's history, going back to slavery days. It started with the story of Kunta Kinte, who was kidnapped in the Gambia in 1767 and transported to the Province of Maryland to be sold as a slave.
Roots published in 37 languages. Haley won a special Pulitzer Prize for the work in 1977. The same year, Roots was adapted as a popular television miniseries of the same name by ABC. The serial reached a record-breaking 130 million viewers
Works
- The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965), biography
- Super Fly T.N.T. (1973), screenplay
- Roots: The Saga of an American Family (1976), novel
- Alex Haley Tells the Story of His Search for Roots (1977) – 2-LP recording of a two-hour lecture
- A Different Kind of Christmas (1988), stories
- Alex Haley's Queen: The Story of an American Family (1992), novel
- Alex Haley: The Playboy Interviews (1993), collection
- Never Turn Back: Father Serra's Mission (Stories of America) (1993), editor, stories
- Mama Flora's Family (1998), novel
Collection of Alex Haley's personal works
The University of Tennessee Libraries, in Knoxville, Tennessee, maintains a collection of Alex Haley's personal works in its Special Collections Department. The works contain notes, outlines, bibliographies, research, and legal papers documenting Haley's Roots through 1977. Of particular interest are the items showing Harold Courlander's lawsuit against Haley, Doubleday & Company, and various affiliated groups. Portions of Alex Haley's personal collection is also located at the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center's Special Collections and Archives in Fort Lauderdale, FL.