James Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) is arguably one of the greatest writers and public intellectuals the US has ever produced. Even when speaking off the cuff without preparation, his answers are more enlightened and valuable than the prepared speches of the polished mouthpieces in Washington. If US leadership in the last thirty years had half the intellect of that man, most of the US’s problems wouldn’t exist.
A novelist, a playwright, a songwriter, essayist, his versatility and intellect knew no bounds. And as a human rights advocate – civil rights, LGBTQ rights, socialism – his words spoke volumes and have become ever more relevant as the US marches backwards.
The Root: 5 Times James Baldwin Read White America
Pacific Standard: How James Baldwin Gives Our Problem Back to Us
Thirty years after Baldwin’s death, though, America has found itself in a Baldwin renaissance. This resurfacing of Baldwin is ubiquitous, from journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates’ award-winning book Between the World and Me (2015); to director Raoul Peck’s Academy Award-nominated film I Am Not Your Negro (2016); to the fact that, over the past year, Baldwin’s book sales have improved by an impressive 110 percent, according to some estimates. That Baldwin is now re-emerging says lots about Baldwin—but it says even more about us.
There aren’t many people I have said I wish I could go back in time and meet, but James Baldwin is one of them. Unlike many whose personal lives turned out to be flawed or problematic, Baldwin’s name remains untarnished.
There’s a really good audiobook version of The Fire Next Time. Highly recommended.
Did James Baldwin publish a “book of days”? I recall buying it from a library as one of their discards. I was struck by the personal nature of the book and in a time when “no one talked about that” in my town, he spoke of LGBTQ existences. Am I imagining this book, or mabye it was a different James Baldwin? It was a small book with a black binding and gold coloured lettering on the cover. It had long since lost its dust cover. Trying to find it on Google resulted in no results except other books. Maybe I’m not remembering the title correctly?