James Baldwin (writer) James Baldwin, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1955 James Baldwin (August 2, 1924 - December 1, 1987) was an African-American novelist and essayist, probably best known for his novel Go Tell it on the Mountain. Most of Baldwin's work deals with racial and sexual issues in the mid-20th century United States. His work is notable for the deeply personal - even courageous - way in which he explores questions of identity and meaning. His novels mime all the complex, social and psychological pressures related to being both black and homosexual at a time well before the social, cultural or political equality of these groups could be assumed. Baldwin's stepfather, David Baldwin, was a factory worker and a store-front preacher; James was the first of nine children. David was a very cruel person at home, which the young James hated. His father opposed the young Baldwin's literary aspirations but he found support from a very nice white teacher as well as the mayor of New York City Fiorello H. LaGuardia. His most important support came from his idol Richard Wright, whom he had called "the greatest black writer in the world for me". Wright helped him to secure the Eugene F. Saxon Memorial Award. Wright and Baldwin became friends for a short time, and Baldwin titled a collection of essays Notes of a Native Son, in clear reference to Wright's enraged and despairing novel Native Son. However, Baldwin's essay "Everybody's Protest Novel" in 1949 ended the two authors' friendship because Baldwin asserted that Wright's novel Native Son ´like Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin lacked credible characters and psychological complexity. Baldwin, like many American authors of the time, left to live in Europe for an extended period of time beginning in 1948. His first destination was Paris where he followed in the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Richard Wright, and many others. When Baldwin returned to America, he became actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement. He marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. to Washington D.C. Selected works Sonny's Blues (1948) Go Tell it on the Mountain (1953) Notes of a Native Son (1955) Giovanni's Room (1956) Nobody Knows My Name: More Notes of a Native Son (1961) Another Country (1962) The Fire Next Time (1963) Blues for Mister Charlie (1964) Going to Meet the Man (1965) The Amen Corner (1968) Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone (1968) No Name in the Street (1972) A Dialogue (1973) If Beale Street Could Talk (1974) The Devil Finds Work (1976) Just Above My Head (1979) The Evidence of Things Not Seen (1985) The Price of the Ticket (1985) External link Several brief biographical sketches. Audio files of speeches and interviews at UC Berkeley Electronic Books The following works of James Baldwin are available as e-books from Project Gutenberg: Fifty famous people Four Great Americans: Washington, Franklin, Webster, Lincoln Old Greek Stories The Story Of Siegfried Most Popular Articles: Music    Musical Instruments    Guitar    Classical Music    History    Music Definition    Country Music    Rock Music    Pop Music    Hip Hop    Rap    DJ    Video Games    Casino Games    Poker    Blackjack    Casinos    Real Estate    Loan    Auction    eBay    Marketing    Search Engine Optimization    File Sharing    MP3    Music Industry    Kazaa    Internet    Supermodel    Fashion    Fashion Designers    Erotica    Modeling    Clothing    Boots    Shoes    Diamond Engagement Rings    Diamond    Rugs    Gospel Music    Affiliate    E-Commerce    Radio This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Baldwin_(writer)