Former Writing Studio of Alex Haley

Alex Haley, who was indifferent as a student and had no formal training as a writer, would nonetheless go on to write two of the most influential books of the twentieth century. He began writing during his time in the Coast Guard, partly to relieve boredom. Following his retirement from the Coast Guard, Haley, his wife, and their children returned to the US and began living in New York City. There, Haley began working full-time as a free-lance writer and had numerous articles published. He also worked as a writer and senior editor at Reader's Digest.

It was in his capacity as writer and editor for Reader's Digest that the collaboration between Haley and Malcolm X began. Haley suggested an article that would focus on the leader, but Malcolm X was dubious of Haley's intention and referred the matter to Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam. With Muhammad's approval, the article was published in 1960. Haley also conducted interview features for Playboy magazine, and after the Reader's Digest article received favorable attention, Malcolm X agreed to an interview for that publication as well.

The two earlier interviews led to another collaboration between the two men. A publisher contacted Haley about producing a book on Malcolm X's life. Though both men agreed to the idea, the partnership got off to what Haley described as a "very poor start," as he found Malcolm X to be less than forthcoming, despite their earlier collaboration. The interviews were conducted in Haley's basement apartment on Grove Street, and due to Malcolm X's schedule, had to be conducted for two to three hours starting at 9 or 10PM. After long days, Malcolm X was often tired and tended to talk more propaganda than give Haley substantive autobiographical information.

Gradually, however, Haley was able to develop more of a bond with Malcolm and was able to get him to answer his questions forthrightly, no matter how personal. The two men conducted roughly 50 interviews at Grove Street, covering every aspect of the civil rights leader's life, with Malcolm reviewing Haley's chapters and Haley accompanying the leader as he gave speeches. The interviews continued from 1963 until shortly before Malcolm's assassination in February of 1965 in Harlem. The result was a groundbreaking work, The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley. It was an unusual premise: an autobiography told to and written by someone other than the subject, and when it was published in 1965, it was an immediate success. It was translated into several languages and sold more than 8 million copies. Haley would later go on to write Roots: The Saga of an American Family, an account of his ancestors who were sold into slavery. The book won the Pulitzer Prize and was adapted into an acclaimed television mini-series.

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation placed a plaque at 92 Grove Street in 2019, idenitifying its significance as the site of the interviews between Malcolm X and Haley.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X, PBS. Accessed November 27th 2020. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/malcolmx-autobiography-malcolm-x/.

Brown, Evan Nicole. 'Autobiography of Malcolm X' Author Alex Haley Honored with Greenwich Village Plaque , The Gothamist. May 20th 2019. Accessed November 27th 2020. https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/autobiography-of-malcolm-x-author-alex-haley-honored-with-greenwich-village-plaque.