November 4, 2015

Wednesday Writing Wisdom (32) James Baldwin





“Unless a writer is extremely old when he dies, in which case he has probably become a neglected institution, his death must always be seen as untimely. This is because a real writer is always shifting and changing and searching. The world has many labels for him, of which the most treacherous is the label of Success.



James Baldwin
(1924 - 1987)
Curious facts about 

 
Throughout his distinguished career Baldwin called himself a “disturber of the peace”—one who revealed uncomfortable truths to a society mired in complacency.




James Arthur Baldwin was born and raised in Harlem under extremely trying circumstances. The oldest of nine children, he grew up in an environment of rigorous religious observance and dire poverty. His stepfather, an evangelical preacher, was a strict disciplinarian who showed James little love.



Baldwin’s fiction and plays also explored the burdens a callous society can impose on a sensitive individual. Two of his best-known works, the novel Go Tell It on the Mountain and the play The Amen Corner were inspired by his years with the Pentecostal church in Harlem.

4 comments:

  1. A very interesting post, Carmen. I like the idea he called himself a disturber of the peace. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. This post gave me the opportunity to discover interesting authors fro all over the world. Thanks for stopping by, Daisy! Watch the next week post. It is a well-known romance author.

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  2. Thanks so much for sharing another great author, Carmen.

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    1. For me was an unknown author. Thanks for stopping by, Flossie!

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