James Baldwin (1924-1987)

James Baldwin (1924-1987) is a person.

• Context:
  • They can be associated with James Baldwin-style Criticism such as an analysis of racial inequality in America and its impact on national identity.
  • They can (often) write about the intersections of race, sexuality, and class in Western societies.
  • They can explore themes of Personal Identity and Social Belonging through a literary and autobiographical lens.
  • They can influence the LGBTQ+ movement and civil rights movement through their works.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • James Baldwin, 1924: born on August 2, 1924, in Harlem, New York.
  • James Baldwin, 1948: moved to Paris in 1948, seeking the freedom to write about his experiences as a Black gay man.
  • James Baldwin, 1963: published "The Fire Next Time" which brought him to the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement.
  • James Baldwin, 1987: Baldwin passed away on December 1, 1987, in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Chinua Achebe (1930-2013): A Nigerian novelist and author of "Things Fall Apart," who explored themes of post-colonial identity and African traditions.
  • Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980): A French philosopher and writer who, unlike Baldwin, focused more on existentialism and political activism in Europe.
  • Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960): An American author and anthropologist known for her works on African-American culture and folklore.
• See: LGBT Social Movement, Social Critic, Racism, The Fire Next Time, Remember This House

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References

2017

• (Wikipedia, 2017) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Baldwin Retrieved: 2017-8-10.
  • James Arthur "Jimmy" Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American writer and social critic. His essays, as collected in Notes of a Native Son (1955), explore palpable yet unspoken intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western societies, most notably in mid-20th-century America. Some of Baldwin's essays are book-length, for instance The Fire Next Time (1963), No Name in the Street (1972), and The Devil Finds Work (1976). An unfinished manuscript, Remember This House, was expanded upon and adapted for cinema as the Academy Award-nominated documentary film I Am Not Your Negro. Baldwin's novels and plays fictionalize fundamental personal questions and dilemmas amid complex social and psychological pressures thwarting the equitable integration not only of African Americans, but also of gay and bisexual men, while depicting some internalized obstacles to such individuals' quests for acceptance. Such dynamics are prominent in Baldwin's second novel, Giovanni's Room, written in 1956, well before the gay liberation movement.

1972

• (Baldwin, 1972) ⇒ James Baldwin. (1972). “No Name in the Street."
  • QUOTE: … All the western nations are caught in a lie, the lie of their pretended humanism: this means that their history has no moral justification, and that the West has no moral authority. …
  • NOTE: It discusses the pervasive lie of Western pretended humanism and its moral implications.
  • NOTE: It highlights Baldwin's critique of Western nations' lack of moral authority.
  • NOTE: It explores the impact of racial and political events on Baldwin's personal life and broader social themes.

1963

• (Baldwin, 1963) ⇒ James Baldwin. (1963). “The Fire Next Time."
  • QUOTE: … If we do not now dare everything, the fulfillment of that prophecy, re-created from the Bible in song by a slave, is upon us: God gave Noah the rainbow sign, No more water, the fire next time!”
  • NOTE: It emphasizes the urgent need for racial equality and justice in America.
  • NOTE: It includes Baldwin's reflections on the black experience and his vision for the future.
  • NOTE: It underscores the prophetic warning about the consequences of racial injustice.

1956

• (Baldwin, 1956) ⇒ James Baldwin. (1956). “Giovanni's Room."
  • QUOTE: … Perhaps home is not a place but simply an irrevocable condition. …

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