Question: His book became the first of its kind by an African American author. Who was he?
Answer: James Baldwin.
The book, Giovanni's Room, is the story of two male lovers--one is an American, the other is an Italian--living in post-war Paris. It's homosexual theme was so controversial that Baldwin was advised not to publish it for fear it would ruin his career. Baldwin ignored such sentiments and the book, published in 1956, has become not only a classic gay novel, but an American one as well.
Learn more about James Baldwin at your local library.
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- Charles Michael Smith is a freelance journalist and book reviewer in New York City. He has written for several newspapers and magazines. He is also the editor of "Fighting Words: Essays by Black Gay Men" (Avon Books, 1999); it was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award. His article about Harlem Renaissance luminary Bruce Nugent appeared in "In the Life: A Black Gay Anthology," edited by Joseph Beam (Alyson, 1986; reissued Redbone Press, 2008). He was interviewed for a Q & A article that was published in "Mighty Real: An Anthology of African-American Same Gender Loving Writing," edited by R. Bryant Smith and Darius Omar Williams (Effusses/Sangha Publishing, 2010). Urbanbookmaven (c) 2008. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this blog, including any text, photographs, and artwork may be reproduced or copied without written permission.
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