For the occasion of James Baldwin’s centennial, Williams Special Collections presents a modest selection of materials representing his significant life and legacy. Born in Harlem in 1924, Baldwin began his career as a child preacher. The oratorical skills he developed in the church, and literary knowledge he acquired as regular patron of the 135th Street Branch Library (now the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture), molded Baldwin’s voice into one that would define the major movements of mid-20th century arts and letters. From his early novels and essays to his later works of poetry and children’s literature, this display explores the broad range of Baldwin’s writing practice.
Several recent acquisitions feature here, including a first edition of Baldwin’s 1962 novel Another Country; a 1968 edition of The Amen Corner, marking the author’s first foray into playwriting; as well as Baldwin’s critically under-examined children’s book, Little Man, Little Man: A Story of Childhood (1972).
Baldwin represented unfettered anger and love through his characters and criticism. While this radical honesty vexed the reception of his work during his lifetime, Baldwin’s uncompromising voice resonates with audiences today.
The exhibit is on view through December in the Schow Gallery, 4th floor of Sawyer Library, during Special Collections open hours.
[Image: etching of James Baldwin by Leonard Baskin, 1989.]
— Alexandra Nicome, John A. Lowe III ’73 Special Collections Fellow