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Ahead of his time -

Many readers consider James Baldwin ahead of his time. The Harlem-born writer provided readers with a framework to engage with issues of power, social justice, and politics.

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Self-imposed exile -

Baldwin, who would have turned 101 in 2025, died in 1987 in “self-imposed exile," in the south of France. Despite the decades that have passed since his death, he continues to be one of the most-read authors in the US and beyond.

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Involvement in imperial struggles -

Known for being a key figure in the American civil rights movement (writer Amiri Baraka referred to Baldwin as “God’s Black revolutionary mouth"), Baldwin was also involved in global imperial struggles, including the occupation of Palestine.

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Israel offers Baldwin a home -

After leaving the United States, Baldwin spent extensive periods of time in Turkey and France, where he died. In the 1960s, the Israeli state offered Baldwin a home, too.

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Which side of Jerusalem? -

In his 1972 essay 'Take Me to the Water,' Baldwin explained why he refused Israel's invitation. “If I had fled to Israel, a state created for the purpose of protecting Western interests, I would have been in a tighter bind: on which side of Jerusalem would I have decided to live?”

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Principled stances -

Baldwin’s principled stances inside and outside the United States have made him a favored writer well beyond his native country. The international circulation and success of his work can largely be attributed to his political positions on oppression throughout the world.

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Non-English readership -

In fact, a substantial portion of his readership is outside the English-speaking world. One of his most well-known posthumous works, 'The Evidence of Things Not Seen,' was published in a foreign language before its release in its original English.

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Revival -

Michael Raeburn, who collaborated with Baldwin to write a screenplay of one of his most famous books, 'Giovanni’s Room,' remarked that “Jimmy’s work has been vigorously revived: in trains, planes, cafés—in Paris, London, Berlin, Southern Africa—I see people reading Giovanni’s Room. Even in his lifetime, Jimmy was not so universally read as he is today.”

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Baldwin's prolific work -

As more and more people continue reading Baldwin, some picking up his work for the first time, it’s clear why Baldwin’s prolific work remains in the hands of such a wide array of readers across the world.

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Issues of acceptance -

Baldwin’s work often grapples with issues of acceptance, both of oneself and of society—issues Baldwin himself struggled with. Perhaps it is for this reason that his work is so widely relatable.

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'Go Tell It on the Mountain' -

In Baldwin’s first novel, 'Go Tell It on the Mountain,' first published in 1953, he shares a semi-autobiographical text that tells the story of a teen's struggle growing up in 1930s Harlem (pictured in 1938).

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Writing to process -

Baldwin wrote the novel to help him process his own feelings about his father, a relationship that he stated “hurt me most.” The book raises issues of self-identity, race, and religion, among other themes.

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Harlem: the metropolis of grief -

In a 1973 review published in The New York Times of 'Go Tell It on the Mountain,' Donald Barr refers to Harlem (pictured is a still from the 1935 Harlem Uprising) as “the metropolis of grief.” Barr goes on to explain the role of religion, “a vulgar export-model Puritanism,” for the formerly enslaved and their descendants in which sin was a central, “fearfully inclusive” concept.

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Key theme: guilt -

Having this in mind, Barr identifies guilt as one of the key themes that rings through the book, repeatedly and deliberately. Clinical psychologist Lawrence Howells notes that guilt is two-fold, consisting of: “the standards we hold for ourselves and our interpretation of our behavior against these standards… it drives us to act.”

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Giovanni’s Room -

Baldwin’s second novel, 'Giovanni’s Room,' published in 1956, revolves around a young American man who lives in Paris as he struggles to come to terms with his sexuality, as well as societal demands on masculinity.

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Key theme: shame -

Shame is a central theme in 'Giovanni’s Room,' as a love affair between the protagonist and an Italian bartender illustrates how shame emerges, is sustained, and ultimately destroys.

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Major plot points presented immediately -

What often occurs in Baldwin's writings is that the major plot points aren't hidden and are usually presented within the first few pages. Baldwin doesn't waste time in uncovering the bones of his books.

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Complexities of human life -

Instead, with care, purpose, and intention, he unfolds the complexities of the human experience. With each scene, character, and interaction, Baldwin is able to draw readers in through moving narrations.

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Failure to love -

Writer Colm Tóibín (pictured), author of the book 'On James Baldwin,' describes 'Giovanni’s Room' as a novel that attempts to confront issues of mortality through “someone’s failure to love.”

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Cannot escape his desires -

Again, drawing on the theme of guilt and lack of self-acceptance, the book’s protagonist cannot escape his own desire, no matter how much he tries.

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Denying oneself -

The pain of denying oneself to fit into constraining societal expectations, damaging ourselves and those we care for along the way, is a struggle many can identify with.

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'If Beale Street Could Talk' -

‘If Beale Street Could Talk,’ Baldwin’s 1974 book that became a Golden Globe-nominated film directed by Barry Jenkins (pictured far right) in 2019, is set in Harlem, following a young African-American couple, Tish (Clementine) and her boyfriend, Fonny (Alonzo).

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Systemic racism -

In the book, Fonny is falsely accused of violating a woman. He is arrested and jailed. Tish finds out she’s pregnant. 'If Beale Street Could Talk' grapples with the systemic racism of American society and its criminal justice system in a context where violence of all kinds is rampant.

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Key themes: guilt, shame, morality, gender -

Themes of shame, guilt, and morality, too, appear front and center in Baldwin’s seminal work. This book also deals more with gendered issues, specifically how women are viewed and treated.

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Balancing societal judgments -

Tish, just 19, is pregnant with an imprisoned partner. She attempts to balance societal judgments with her determination to prove Fonny’s innocence.

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Confronting morality and shame -

Desperate to get Fonny out of jail, Tish contemplates engaging in sex work. It’s here where Baldwin really confronts issues of morality and shame.

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Morals -

Tish, who was judgmental of the women she knew sold their bodies, points to her realizations about the complexities of those in desperate situations, underlining how ideas of shame have “very little to do with morals.”

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US prisons -

The United States hosts the largest number of prisoners in the world, imprisoning 11 million more people than China, despite the vast population difference. It functions under what is called the prison industrial complex. Reading James Baldwin's work today, many people can identify with the horrors of daily life in a racist society and the destructive nature of prison for families around the world.

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Is it really so different today? -

Baldwin published several novels, many essays, and short stories, as well as plays and poetry. His bibliography is expansive. His work is still incredibly relevant, not just due to his incredible prose and relatable themes, but also due to the state of society, in which readers ask themselves of writing from decades past: Is it really so different today?

Sources: (LitHub) (Book Marks) (Manchester University Press) (The British Psychological Society) (Oprah Daily) (The Guardian) (New York Times) (Statista)

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