“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 sigh, No more water, the fire next time!” (from The Fire Next Time, 1963)
No writer in American history is more clear, more concise or more accurate on issues or race in our society than James Baldwin. Known for his wit and sharp intellect, Baldwin gained fame with his first novel, GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN (1953), a story of hidden sins, guilt, and religious torments. His essay collections, “Notes of a Native Son” (1955)(my favorite book), “Nobody Knows My Name” (1961), and “The Fire Next Time” (1963) were extraordinarily influential during the 1960s.
Caught between the Southern idealism of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the militant, Northern realism of Malcom X, Baldwin had an uncanny ability of placing his emotions to the side so that he could find that perfect word. His essays are incredibly clairevoyant, for Baldwin, as a gay man, possessed the triple threat of being black, male and gay.
Baldwin’s perceptions of white Americans were mercilously accurate. Baldwin states: “I HAVE OFTEN WONDERED, AND IT IS NOT A PLEASANT wonder, just what white Americans talk about with one another. I wonder this because they do not, after all, seem to find very much to say to me, and I concluded long ago that they found the color of my skin inhibitory.“–”Unnameable Objects, Unspeakable Crimes.”
Check out this internet gem: interviews with Baldwin, King and X.
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