Group 4 James Baldwin
Ms. Emy Kurilla
ENG 110OA
11 August 2017
James Baldwin
The author our group has been assigned is James Baldwin. James was an African
American writer who faced many hardships during his time. With that his writing pieces came at
the ending years of segregation. Mr. Baldwin wrote poems, essays, speeches, and much more.
His literature is not only fascinating but very inspiring. His stories discuss life as a black in a so
called “white America” (pbs.org).
James Baldwin was born in Harlem, New York and was the oldest of nine in 1942.
Growing up a grandson to a slave, growing up in poverty, and growing up with a hard to get
along with stepfather formed Baldwin to who he is at a young age. At fourteen Baldwin was
leaving the house, going to the library where he found his passion for writing. His father also
directed him to become a preacher through his teen years. In these years, his tone and vocabulary
shaped his writing to what it famous for.
For a short time at 18 he worked for the New Jersey railroad. He left home and the
church to do so. However, this short time led him to meet Richard Wright who was a well known
artist. Baldwin was also writing book reviews and caught Wright’s attention. At age 24, Wright
helped Baldwin get a grant and Baldwin was off to Paris to continue his career. “Go Tell It on the
Mountain, published in 1953, was an autobiographical work about growing up in Harlem. The
passion and depth with which he described the struggles of black Americans were unlike
anything that had been written. Though not instantly recognized as such, Go Tell It on the
Mountain has long been considered an American classic” (pbs.org).
As the years went on, he moved from place to place back to New York and then to
Istanbul. He wrote many pieces that discussed the racial tension, homophobia, interracial
couples, and other topics looked at as taboo. These years of being in foreign countries and
moving around allowed Baldwin to explore his own writing styles. ““Once I found myself on the
other side of the ocean,” Baldwin told the New York Times, “I could see where I came from very
clearly, and I could see that I carried myself, which is my home, with me. You can never escape
that. I am the grandson of a slave, and I am a writer. I must deal with both””
(poetryfoundation.com).
Through his hardships overseas though he came to realize he was bisexual and realize his
