JAMES BALDWIN

IT’S THE 1950S… YOU’RE BLACK… AND A HOMOSEXUAL. WHAT WILL LIFE BE LIKE FOR YOU??

“There is an illusion about America, a myth about America to which we are clinging which has nothing to do with the lives we lead and I don't believe that anybody in this country who has really thought about it or really almost anybody who has been brought up against it--and almost all of us have one way or another--this collision between one's image of oneself and what one actually is, is always very painful and there are two things you can do about it, you can meet the collision head-on and try and become what you really are or you can retreat and try to remain what you thought you were, which is a fantasy, in which you will certainly perish.” ― James Baldwin, Nobody Knows My NameJames Baldwin Nobody Knows My Name

JAMES BALDWIN – THE EARLY DAYS Born on August 2, 1924, Harlem, New York City, NY Writer and civil rights activist Born to a single mother who never told James of his biological father. His grandfather was a slave.

JAMES BALDWIN – THE EARLY DAYS His step-father, a preacher, gave James his last name. He also insulted James for the rest of his life. Nevertheless, James followed in his step-father’s path and became a youth minister at the age of fourteen. The Baldwins had seven more children and James was his mother’s helper at home. This was also the reason he had to delay college.

JAMES BALDWIN – THE EARLY DAYS He grew up during the Harlem Renaissance. He showed an early talent for writing. “He published numerous poems, short stories and plays in the magazine, and his early work showed an understanding for sophisticated literary devices in a writer of such a young age” (biography.com) After graduating from high school, he had a series of odd jobs, mostly manual labor, including work as a meat packer and laying railroad tracks for the army.

It was during this time that he frequently encountered discrimination.

Langston Hughes once wrote that “ordinary Negroes have never heard of the Harlem Renaissance.” The Baldwin’s were “ordinary Negroes,” but James rose above his ordinary beginnings. In July, 1943, at the age of 17, James moved to Greenwich Village, a New York neighborhood known for its artistic bent. Encouraged by Richard Wright, a celebrated Harlem Renaissance writer, James began his own career as a writer, although his many odd jobs got in the way. Through his connection with Wright, James was able to earn a fellowship which paid for his expenses at the start of his career.

“One of the 20th century's greatest writers, Baldwin broke new literary ground with the exploration of racial and social issues in his many works. He was especially well known for his essays on the black experience in America,” (biography.com).

HARLEM

GREENWICH VILLAGE

EARLY WORKS Moved to Paris in 1948; "Once I found myself on the other side of the ocean, I see where I came from very clearly...I am the grandson of a slave, and I am a writer. I must deal with both," (biography.com). Published Go Tell it on the Mountain in 1953, an autobiographical tale of a young man from Harlem. Guggenheim Fellowship, 1954.

EARLY WORKS Published Giovanni’s Room in One of the first books to tackle the taboo subject of homosexuality; Published The Fire Next Time in 1963; meant to show Caucasians what it meant to be black; “offered white readers a view of themselves through the eyes of the African-American community” (biography.com)

As written in Time Magazine: "There is not another writer—white or black—who expresses with such poignancy and abrasiveness the dark realities of the racial ferment in North and South,“ (biography.com).

WRITING ABOUT RACE Blues for Mister Charlie, debuted on Broadway in 1964 about the murder of Emmett Till.

WRITING ABOUT RACE Going to Meet the Man, published in 1965, is a short story collection. The book, covers many topics: racism in American society, childhood, the creative process, criminal justice, drug addiction, family relationships, jazz, lynching, sexuality and supremacy.

WRITING ABOUT RACE “Tragedy calls out for a great artist, revolution for a true prophet. Six years ago, James Baldwin predicted the black revolution that is now changing our society. His new novel, "Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone" is his attempt to recreate, as an artist this time, the tragic condition of the Negro, in America” (Puzo) 1968 book review from the NY Times

WRITING ABOUT RACE No Name in the Street “In vivid detail, Baldwin also recounts the Harlem childhood that shaped his early consciousness, the later painful historic events—the murders of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X along with his stay in Europe and in Hollywood and his return to the American South to confront a violent America. “ ( Random House)

SONNY’S BLUES Written in 1957; Appeared in Baldwin’s short story collection, Going to Meet the Man (1965). About a teacher (the narrator) and his heroin-addicted brother, Sonny. Major themes: Suffering Artistic Expression Racism and Segregation

HIS LATER YEARS Although Baldwin faded from the limelight, he was still considered an astute observer of race relations in America; Published The Evidence of Things Not Seen about the Atlanta child murders in 1985; Worked as a college professor; Received France’s highest honor, “Commander of the Legion of Honor”; Died in France, on December 1, 1987, at the age of 63. Was buried near New York City.

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WORKS CITED Biography.com. January 3, Kaufman, Stanley. New York Times. “Going to Meet the Man.” January 12, Meetville Quotes. January 7, Puzo, Mario. New York Times. “Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone” January 12, 2015.” Random House. james-Baldwin. January 12, james-Baldwin Time Magazine. January 8,