James Baldwin
Birthday:
2 August 1924, Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
James Baldwin was born on August 2, 1924 in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. He is known for his work on I Am Not Your Negro (2016), À la place du coeur (1998) and I Heard It Through the Grapevine (1982). He died on December 1, 1987 in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Alpes-Maritimes, France.
The primary distinction of the artist is that he must actively cultivate that state which most men, necessarily, must avoid: the state of be...Show more »
The primary distinction of the artist is that he must actively cultivate that state which most men, necessarily, must avoid: the state of being alone. Show less «
Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.
Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.
People who treat other people as less than human must not be surprised when the bread they have cast on the waters comes floating back to th...Show more »
People who treat other people as less than human must not be surprised when the bread they have cast on the waters comes floating back to them, poisoned. Show less «
The responsibility of a writer is to excavate the experience of the people who produced him.
The responsibility of a writer is to excavate the experience of the people who produced him.
The American ideal, after all, is that everyone should be as much alike as possible.
The American ideal, after all, is that everyone should be as much alike as possible.
I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.
I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.
You write in order to change the world, knowing perfectly well that you probably can't, but also knowing that literature is indispensable to...Show more »
You write in order to change the world, knowing perfectly well that you probably can't, but also knowing that literature is indispensable to the world... The world changes according to the way people see it, and if you alter, even by a millimeter, the way ... people look at reality, then you can change it. Show less «
That the western world has forgotten that such a thing as the moral choice exists, my history, my flesh and my soul bear witness.
That the western world has forgotten that such a thing as the moral choice exists, my history, my flesh and my soul bear witness.
[in the run-up to the 1980 Presidential election] In a couple of days, blacks may be using the vote to outwit the Final Solution.Yes. The Fi...Show more »
[in the run-up to the 1980 Presidential election] In a couple of days, blacks may be using the vote to outwit the Final Solution.Yes. The Final Solution.No black person can afford to forget that the history of this country is genocidal from where the buffalo once roamed to where our ancestors were slaughtered - from New Orleans to New York, from Birmingham to Boston, and to the Caribbean and to Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Saigon. Oh yes, let freedom ring. Show less «
I met a lot of people in Europe. I even encountered myself.
I met a lot of people in Europe. I even encountered myself.
[on jazz] This music begins on the auction block.
[on jazz] This music begins on the auction block.
[observation, 1968] Sidney Poitier, as a black artist and a man, is up against the infantile, furtive sexuality of this country. Both he and...Show more »
[observation, 1968] Sidney Poitier, as a black artist and a man, is up against the infantile, furtive sexuality of this country. Both he and Harry Belafonte are sex symbols, though no one dares to admit that, still less use them as any of the Hollywood he-men are used. Show less «
American history is longer, more beautiful and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it.
American history is longer, more beautiful and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it.
Our humanity is our burden, our life. We need not battle for it. We need only to do what is infinitely more difficult: that is, accept it.
Our humanity is our burden, our life. We need not battle for it. We need only to do what is infinitely more difficult: that is, accept it.
In the case of the American Negro, from the moment you are born, every stick and stone, every face is white. Since you have not yet seen a m...Show more »
In the case of the American Negro, from the moment you are born, every stick and stone, every face is white. Since you have not yet seen a mirror, you suppose you are too. It comes as a great shock around the age of 5, 6 or 7 to discover that the flag to which you have pledged allegiance, along with everybody else, has not pledged allegiance to you. It comes as a great shock to see Gary Cooper killing off the Indians, and although you are rooting for Gary Cooper, that the Indians are you. Show less «
James Baldwin's Photos
