Research Guides: James Baldwin: Biography

James Baldwin (August 2, 1924 - December 1, 1987)

James Baldwin’s role as a major spokesman on race guarantees his place in American cultural history. Although not undeserved, this reputation more frequently obscures than clarifies the nature of his literary achievement, which involves his relationship to African American culture, existential philosophy, and the moral tradition of the world novel. To be sure, Baldwin’s progression from an individualistic, universalist stance through active involvement with the integrationist Civil Rights movement to an increasing sympathy with militant pan-Africanist thought parallels the general development of African American thought between the early 1950’s and the mid-1970’s. Indeed, Baldwin’s novels frequently mirror both the author’s personal philosophy and its social context. Some, most notably Another Country, attained a high degree of public visibility when published, leading to a widely accepted vision of Baldwin as a topical writer. Continue . . .

Source: Werner, Craig. “James Baldwin.” Critical Survey of Long Fiction, Fourth Edition, Jan. 2010, pp. 1–12. From Literary Reference Center Plus database.

Book Collection

Native sons : a friendship that created one of the greatest works of the 20th century : notes of a native son

ll those strangers the art and lives of James Baldwin

Resources

The James Baldwin Project Albert Maysles was a friend & collaborator for 40 years. Originally, Albert was to be Director of our film -- a cinema vérite study of Baldwin, who planned to conduct live interviews with the children of his three slain friends, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. for his next book, "Remember This House" about the Civil Rights Era. When Baldwin unexpectedly died in 1987, a Maysles-style vérite film was no longer possible. Albert graciously made the subsequent BALDWIN film possible, by turning the directing over to Thorsen and becoming our Executive Producer. His fame as a filmmaker gave major funders the courage to trust the production; his passion for vérité filmmaking gave Thorsen the courage to make a film without narration.
James Baldwin from "The Negro and the American Promise" ames Baldwin appears in Boston public television producer Henry Morgenthau III's "The Negro and the American Promise," alongside Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. The New York Times described the James Baldwin segment as "a television experience that seared the conscience."
The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom - James Baldwin in San Francisco In May 1963, during the Birmingham, Alabama, protests, novelist, essayist, playwright, and poet James Baldwin (1924–1987) visited San Francisco to interview African American youth. The encounters, occurring a few months after the publication of The Fire Next Time, Baldwin’s foreboding analysis of race in America, were filmed for the documentary Take This Hammer, broadcast in January 1964 on National Educational Television.
1963: Harlem An excerpt taken from the book "The Fire Next Time," by James Baldwin is presented.
James Baldwin: A 1970 Interview Conducted in Paris by Nabile Farès for Jeune Afrique, translated from French and introduced by Peter Thompson1

From Films On Demand database:

James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket James Baldwin was at once a major 20th-century American author, a civil rights activist, and a prophetic voice calling Americans, black and white both, to confront their shared racial tragedy. This film biography of Baldwin’s life captures the passion of his beliefs with stirring excerpts from his novels and striking archival footage dating from the Harlem Renaissance through to the author’s commentary on civil rights to his writing retreats in Istanbul and Europe. Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, Ishmael Reed, and William Styron provide insight as the program skillfully links excerpts from Baldwin’s major works to different historical stages in black-white dialogue.
Africa to America to Paris: The Migration of Black Writers Writer James Baldwin travels to Paris where he finds acceptance in the homosexual community. He disdains being called a "black writer." Wright admires Baldwin's work, despite his homosexuality.
Styron and James Baldwin James Baldwin is shown talking about white attitudes toward Africa; Styron talks about Baldwin's influence on his book, "The Confessions of Nat Turner."
James Baldwin's Writing James Baldwin was the author of the book "Notes of a Native Son," and was one of the most influential writers in 1950s American literature.