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“I was not born to be what someone said I was. I was not born to be defined by someone else, but by myself, and myself only.” When, in the fall of 1987, the poet Quincy Troupe traveled to the south of France to interview James Baldwin, Baldwin’s brother David told him to ask Baldwin about everything—Baldwin was critically ill and David knew that this might be the writer’s last chance to speak at length about his life and work.
The result is one of the most eloquent and revelatory interviews of Baldwin’s career, a conversation that ranges widely over such topics as his childhood in Harlem, his close friendship with Miles Davis, his relationship with writers like Toni Morrison and Richard Wright, his years in France, and his ever-incisive thoughts on the history of race relations and the African-American experience.
Also collected here are significant interviews from other moments in Baldwin’s life, including an in-depth interview conducted by Studs Terkel shortly after the publication of Nobody Knows My Name. These interviews showcase, above all, Baldwin’s fearlessness and integrity as a writer, thinker, and individual, as well as the profound struggles he faced along the way.
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Release date
December 2, 2014 -
Formats
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781612194011
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781612194011
- File size: 2099 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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April 1, 1989
Baldwin, mentor to a generation of black artists and writers, is eulogized through essays and interviews as well as speeches delivered at his memorial service. Maya Angelou calls Baldwin her brother, in a time when ``black women had a crying need for brothers.'' Mary McCarthy remembers Baldwin's ``elegance'' and William Styron describes the year that he, grandson of a slave owner, offered the use of his Connecticut studio to Baldwin, grandson of a slave: ``He left a silence that to this day somehow resonates through the house.'' Journalist Mel Watkins introduces a vigorous discussion of Baldwin's craft, evidence of which is amply provided by ``Notes of a Native Son'' and other writings gathered here. The variety of texts is chaotic, but collectively the pieces demonstrate the power and influence of a major literary figure. Troupe, whose interview with his close friend Baldwin is included, won the American Book Award for poetry with Snake-Back Solos. Photos not seen by PW.
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