Beloved is a novel written by Toni Morrison, published in 1987. It tells the story of Sethe, an escaped slave living in Cincinnati, Ohio, who is haunted by the traumatic memories of her past and the ghost of her deceased daughter. The narrative explores themes of motherhood, memory, and the impact of slavery on individuals and families. The novel is inspired by the true story of Margaret Garner, a runaway slave who took her child's life to save her from a life of enslavement. Beloved received critical acclaim and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988, solidifying Morrison's status as a significant figure in American literature.