![]() In addition to his books and essays, Baldwin wrote plays that were produced on Broadway. They include “Notes of a Native Son,” “Nobody Knows My Name,” “The Fire Next Time,” “No Name in the Street” and “The Evidence of Things Not Seen.” Many critics view Baldwin’s essays as his most significant contribution to American literature. He also wrote a series of essays probing the psychic history of the United States along with his inner self. I must deal with both.” Through some difficult financial and emotional periods, Baldwin undertook a process of self-realization that included both an acceptance of his heritage and an admittance of his bisexuality.īaldwin’s move led to a burst of creativity that included Go Tell It on the Mountain, Giovanni’s Room and other works. I am the grandson of a slave, and I am a writer. “Once I found myself on the other side of the ocean,” Baldwin told the New York Times, “I could see where I came from very clearly, and I could see that I carried myself, which is my home, with me. Most critics feel that this journey abroad was fundamental to Baldwin’s development as an author. In 1948 he moved to Paris, using funds from a Rosenwald Foundation fellowship to pay his passage. He found the social tenor of the United States increasingly stifling even though such prestigious periodicals as the Nation, New Leader and Commentary began to accept his essays and short stories for publication. Despite the financial freedom the fellowship provided, Baldwin was unable to complete his novel that year. In 1944 he met author Richard Wright, who helped him to land the 1945 Eugene F. The experiences in New Jersey were closely followed by his stepfather’s death, after which Baldwin determined to make writing his sole profession.īaldwin moved to Greenwich Village and began to write a novel, supporting himself by performing a variety of odd jobs. Baldwin took a job in the defense industry in Belle Meade, N.J., and there, not for the first time, he was confronted with racism, discrimination and the debilitating regulations of segregation. Shortly after he graduated from high school in 1942, Baldwin was compelled to find work in order to help support his brothers and sisters mental instability had incapacitated his stepfather. ![]() He served as a junior minister for three years at the Fireside Pentecostal Assembly, but gradually lost his desire to preach as he began to question Christian tenets. During the summer of his 14th birthday he underwent a dramatic religious conversion, partly in response to his nascent sexuality and partly as a further buffer against the ever-present temptations of drugs and crime. He was an excellent student who sought escape from his environment through literature, movies and theater. ![]() As a youth Baldwin read constantly and even tried writing. As is the case with many writers, Baldwin’s upbringing is reflected in his writings, especially in Go Tell It on the Mountain.īaldwin’s stepfather, an evangelical preacher, struggled to support a large family and demanded the most rigorous religious behavior from his nine children. James Arthur Baldwin was born on Augin New York City’s Harlem and was raised under very trying circumstances. ![]()
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