James Baldwin
(1924-1987), Writer and criticJames Arthur Baldwin
Sitter in 1 portrait
Born in Harlem, Baldwin was brought up in New York by his mother and stepfather, a church minister. At the age of thirteen, he wrote Harlem - Then and Now, his first article for his school magazine. On his nineteenth birthday in 1943, he witnessed the Harlem race riots which were to feature in his essay Notes of a Native Son. His works include Remember This House which was adapted for cinema as the Academy Award-nominated documentary film I Am Not Your Negro. Many of Baldwin's fictional works, including his second novel Giovanni's Room (1956), daringly explored personal questions and dilemmas concerning race, sexual orientation, class and integration, making him an important and influential voice in American literature.
by Mark Gerson
modern bromide print, July 1971
NPG x88248
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