James Baldwin Timeline
By: Jonathan Preddie
“James Baldwin.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 19 Jan. 2018, www.biography.com/people/james-baldwin-9196635.
James Baldwin Famous Quotes
His Work
- "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.
- To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.
- People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.
- Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.
- His first novel was "Go Tell it on the Mountain"
- Tells a story about the life of a young man growing up in Harlem.
- The young man faces father issues and his religious life.
- His second novel was called "Giovanni's Room"
- This book was about an American living in Paris, and broke new ground for his depiction of homosexuality.
- His most famous book was 'The Fire Next Time"
- This book was a collection of Essays meant to educate Americans on what it meant to be black
- Offers readers a view of themselves through the eyes of the African-American community
More Early Life
- He started publishing numerous poems.
- Graduated high school in 1942
- Put college on hold to help support his family, including 7 younger siblings
- July 29th 1943, his father died.
- Devoting himself to writing a novel, he took odd jobs to support himself.
- He befriended Richard Wright and through him he was able to land a fellowship in 1945 to cover expenses.
- Three years later, he went to Paris on another fellowship
Early Childhood
- James Arthur Baldwin was born on August 2nd 1924 in New York City
- Born to single mother Emma Jones, who gets married to David Baldwin when James is 3 years old.
- From ages 14-16 he served as a youth minister in a Harlem Church.
- As a child he loved to read.
- Worked on school magazine with future famous photographer Richard Avedon