Walker published several works of fiction which caused controversy among black critics for their depiction of black men as sexist, violent husbands. She has often been accused of complicity with white stereotypes of black men, but has defended herself by claiming that her fiction attempts to highlight problems which have been long considered taboo. Walker’s publication of a collection of essays, In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens: Womanist Prose (1983), ushered in an era of black gynocriticism, and she has influenced many feminist thinkers across the world.
