The renown author, novelist, play-writer, and civil rights leader James Arthur Baldwin was born on August 2nd, 1924 in Harlem, New York to Emma Berdis Jones. Baldwin’s mother left James Jones’ biological father due to the fathers’ drug abuse therefore he is not known. But his stepfather Reverend David Baldwin who was a Pentecostal preacher was very active in his life and James took his last name, James went from James Jones to James Baldwin but growing up he was called Jimmy. After James eight children followed making Baldwin the oldest. During Baldwin’s youth he received many prizes from his school, church and city for his writing and was his highly praised for interest in reading. David Baldwin was a big influence in Baldwin’s upbringing, prompting Baldwin to become a preacher at Fireside Pentecostal Assembly. Shortly before Baldwin graduated high school Reverend passed away, and Baldwin renounced from ministry. After Baldwin graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School he began writing for a local magazine which ignited his fire to become a writer.
The path Baldwin took to become a writer happened naturally. Baldwin’s book review was published in The Nation in 1946 on Maxim Gorki, and this review allowed Baldwin to win the Eugene Saxton Memorial Trust Fellowship. It also allowed for Baldwin to meet a writer named Richard Wright, Wright helped Baldwin obtain more fellowships that provided funds to allow Baldwin to write and still be financially secure. This fellowship allowed Baldwin to travel to France and back to America for four years, he published Everybody’s Protest novel. Baldwin soon became known for his controversial works that discussed race and sexuality. This caused him to feel as if he wasn’t safe in New York because he was black and gay in America and writing about it. This is one of the main reasons Baldwin wanting to continue being a expatriate and his first stop was Europe.
There are a plethora of things James Baldwin has accomplished but Baldwin is notoriously known for expressing racial and social injustices in his writings, especially the African- American struggle. Baldwin is also known for writing about homosexuality as well which at the time was controversial. Baldwin needed a change in scenery, somewhere that what less prejudice, safer and more quiet than New York, so he relocated to Europe. During Baldwin’s stay over seas which was for nine years he wrote some of his most known work. These three notable works are Go Tell It on the Mountain which he wrote in 1953, Notes of a Native Son in 1955 and Giovanni's Room in 1956. Go Tell It on the Mountain. Go Tell It on the Mountain was written in Leukerbad, Switzerland and was published by Knopf in 1953. Although in 1954 Knopf rejected publishing Giovanni’s Room because of the topic; homosexuality but was published but Dial and won an award from the National Institute of Arts and Letters. The series of essay titled Notes of a Native Son was published by Beacon and also in 1955 his first play Amen Corner which was produced at Howard University and was directed by Owen Dodson, this was the start of Baldwin dribbling and dabbling in playing writing.
After being an expatriate for nine years Baldwin returns back home to New York. He discovered that the treatment of African-Americans worsened. Baldwin became of civil rights activists and wrote many pieces and gave lectures. During the 1960’s it tensions were at an all time high this was a grave situation and Baldwin was furious. This fury led to him writing Nobody Knows My Name in 1961 and The Fire Next Time in 1963. Baldwin also completed a second part to Notes of a Native Son which is called More Notes of a Native Son. The Fire Next was first published by the New Yorker, and then by Dial. This is the first essay in American history to spend 41 weeks in the top five bestsellers on the New York Times Bestsellers list. These books allow the reader to understand the anger that Baldwin along with other African-Americans had at this time from the discrimination.
In 1957 Baldwin frequently traveled to the South for his involvement with the civil rights movement and met with many civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. During 1957 he also began to receive more training in play writing and was taught by Elia Kazan. A year later in 1958, Giovanni’s Room is produced into a play. In the early 1960’s Baldwin didn’t cease traveling nor writing, his works published include Nobody Knows my Name and Another Country and he travels to Istanbul and Africa. Baldwin continue to explore his creativity, beginning to take part in collaborations with photographers such as Richard Avedon and musician Ray Charles. Along with Baldwin’s creativity flourishing, so was his recognition as an intellect. Participating in debates at Cambridge University against William F. Buckley and when Baldwin won this debate he received a two-minute ovation. In 1968 after Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated bottom and then move permanently to St. Paul de Vence, France.
During 1980’s Baldwin publishes essays about social injustices, such as Black Anti-Semitism and Jewish Racism and An Open Letter to My Sister, Miss Angela Davis. Baldwin became a college professor in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1983 teaching Literature and Afro-American Studies. In 1986 Baldwin was awarded the La Légion D’Honneur, which is the highest honor in France by President François Mitterand. Baldwin continued to publish work and travel, visiting Russia in 1986 with a group of prominent writers to discuss world peace.
In 1987 James Baldwin died from cancer of the stomach in St. Paul de Vence, France. The lost of his was celebrated by thousands of people from around the world. His legacy continues to live even today. Today Baldwin has influenced many authors, activists, and broke many barriers.