Talk:James Baldwin/Archive 1

Archive 1

Confusing

"[...] he considered his stepfather, David Baldwin, as his only father figure. John, a factory worker and a store-front preacher, was allegedly very cruel at home, which the young Baldwin hated." - His stepfather, who was indeed a factory worker and preacher, was named David, so why is the name John also written here?

"Most of Baldwin's work deals with racial and sexual issues, especially in the United States. - what does this mean? Why "Especially in the United States"? Does this mean the work he wrote outside of the US doesn't deal with racial and sexual issues? -- Zoe

Eh, more sloppy writing I did. What I meant was that he's most concerned with those issues in the U.S., as compared to, say, in France. My notes are old and sketchy, though, so I can't back that up with specific essays dealing with the subjects. Maybe I should take it out? Koyaanis Qatsi

Good to see you back. Maybe take out "especially in the United States"? -- Zoe

Italics

What's with this kind of stuff?

"Baldwin, like many American authors of the time, left to live in Europe for an extended period of time beginning in 1948. His first destination was Paris where Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Richard Wright, and many others had lived during their writing careers."

"While there, he mentored Mount Holyoke College future playwright Suzan-Lori Parks..."

"In 2005 the USPS created a First-Class Postage Stamp dedicated to him which featured him on the front, and on the back of the peeling paper had a short biography. One of Baldwin's richest short stories, "Sonny's Blues," appears in many anthologies of short fiction used in introductory college literature classes."

It continues all over the page. I must say, it's quite distracting. :) editing. Ian-sama 19:34, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

Who is John?

Instead, he considered his stepfather, David Baldwin, as his only father figure. John, a factory worker and a store-front preacher, was allegedly very cruel at home, which the young Baldwin hated.

According to the article he never met his biological father, and his step father's name is David. So, who is John? - Jeeny ^Talk 22:55, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

Upheaval

I'm beginning a series of massive edits here, as I hope to complete a large amount of research and do away with these numerous fact tags. If there are any issues, I'll bring them here first. María (críticame) 12:11, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

Page still badly needs editing. I don't see why a citation is particularly needed for the fact that some novels contain black and white and straight and gay characters, when you only need to open the novels. On the other hand, a citation is surely needed for the opinion that Cleaver's "attack" on Baldwin was "homophobic". I am also puzzled by the statement that an essay by Baldwin deals with issues in "novel" form ('Down at the Cross').38.105.157.199 (talk) 15:00, 28 January 2008 (UTC)KD

Giovanni's Room (Literary career)

"Giovanni's Room is exclusively about white characters." I don't remember race being brought up in the book. Well, except for Joey's body being described as brown. And given that Joey was the main character's best fried, it brings up the question of how many inter-racial friendships there were in that time period. And even if I am forgetting some moment where the race of the other characters is mentioned, it's still not exclusively white. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Teagan Antonio (talk • contribs) 02:01, 23 March 2009 (UTC)

I was under the impression that the boy was just very tanned. I have no evidence for this really, since he is never specific. I guess I just rationalized that a "brown" white boy made more sense for the time. Android 93 (talk) 09:40, 29 September 2009 (UTC)

Stranger in the Village

I'm surprised there's no mention of his essay Stranger in the Village. It ought to either be mentioned here, or even merged into this article. --Eptin (talk) 20:59, 28 November 2009 (UTC)

NPR interview

Looks like the external links section is pretty stuffed, so I'll just note this here for now: NPR interview with Baldwin about his poetry. Jodi.a.schneider (talk) 23:30, 10 September 2010 (UTC)

Disambiguation page

It's ridiculous that James Baldwin is a disambiguation page of obscure people (Baldwin himself was not even at the top until I moved him just now). I propose moving this page to James Baldwin and that page to James Baldwin (disambiguation).

Distingué Traces (talk) 00:42, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

Move discussion in progress

There is a move discussion in progress on Talk:James Baldwin (writer) which affects this page. Please participate on that page and not in this talk page section. Thank you. —RM bot 01:30, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

Did the bot go a mental? Bit of a "Kill all humans" moment. Fæ (talk) 10:22, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

Requested move

The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was: Move. Jafeluv (talk) 07:06, 19 November 2010 (UTC)

---

James Baldwin (writer) → James Baldwin (disambiguation) — James Baldwin is by far the most notable person of that name. It's completely silly that James Baldwin (writer) has to be linked from a list of obscure figures. James Baldwin (disambiguation) currently exists as a redirect which should be merged with the disambiguation page. Distingué Traces (talk) 00:48, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

• James Baldwin (writer) → James Baldwin

Assuming that you mean to move the current disambiguation page James Baldwin to James Baldwin (disambiguation), I support this move. The individual now at James Baldwin (writer) is plainly the most prominent person with that name. — Gavia immer (talk) 01:28, 11 November 2010 (UTC)

• Support The writer is by far the most famous individual of that name. The Celestial City (talk) 01:47, 11 November 2010 (UTC)
• Support as per WP:Disambiguation#Is there a primary topic?. Fæ (talk) 10:23, 11 November 2010 (UTC)
• Support clearly primary. Johnbod (talk) 21:50, 11 November 2010 (UTC)
• Support, per nom - definitely needs to be the primary topic. Pahari Sahib 20:28, 17 November 2010 (UTC)

Okay, that looks like consensus--can I go ahead and do the merge and move? It's been a while since I edited actively, not sure how protocols have changed. Distingué Traces (talk) 18:52, 18 November 2010 (UTC)

Doesn't this need an admin though to carry this out (i.e. moving this article and also moving the DAB page) Pahari Sahib 19:59, 18 November 2010 (UTC)

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

Native Sons?

Why is a music album called Native Sons included in the works section? Baldwin seems to have nothing to do with it. If Native Son was meant, that is a novel by Richard Wright, not Baldwin. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.32.80.61 (talk) 03:06, 6 March 2011 (UTC)

In What Form "The Fire Next Time" First Appeared

The James Baldwin Wikipedia entry says that the essay often referred to as "The Fire Next Time" was first published in two installments, in two issues of the New Yorker. I have a bound Vintage paperback copy of the essay, and I have located an online copy of the November 17, 1962 issue of the New Yorker. Comparing the two, it appears the essay ran complete in this one issue; at the very least, I can say for sure that the essay as it appears in the November 17 issue has the same first and last paragraphs as the Vintage paperback version.

Also, the essay as published in the New Yorker is called simply "Letter from a Region in My Mind." The essay acquired the title "Down at the Cross: Letter from a Region in My Mind" only later. Perhaps Wikipedia could be explicit about this.

(The New Yorker issue in question is not hard to find on Google.) Relgif (talk) 17:55, 16 August 2011 (UTC)

Death

I changed his cause of death. He died of esophageal cancer, not stomach cancer. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Earthseed (talk • contribs) 15:32, 2 September 2010 (UTC)

Is there a source for that? The only sources I saw say stomach cancer [1] [2] [3]. - Station1 (talk) 05:43, 2 December 2010 (UTC)

Yes--the source is James Baldwin: Collected Essays (Library of America, 1998). In the Chronology, on page 855, it states that in 1987 he "undergoes tests that reveal cancer of the esophagus." All of his biographers also note that he had esophageal cancer. In James Baldwin: Artist on Fire, W.J. Weatherby cites a diagnosis of esophageal cancer (p. 367), and quotes from a friend who visited Baldwin in his last days who knew he had esophageal cancer (369). I've changed his cause of death to esophageal cancer. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Earthseed (talk • contribs) 16:30, 18 December 2012 (UTC)

Wording

I went ahead and made some edits to the wording and sentence structure of some parts of this article. By no means anything major, and the information has remained the same. Let me know if you have questions. Thanks. GoGatorMeds (talk) 20:59, 7 July 2014 (UTC)

Lucien Happsberger

I've seen his name spelled "Happersberger" instead of "Happsberger." Does anyone know the correct spelling for Lucien's last name? Revolition (talk) 06:51, 4 August 2008 (UTC)hello

I looked at some Swiss sources and they all seem to have "Happersberger" - wherefore I would think that this is the correct spelling. Albrecht Conz (talk) 23:02, 12 January 2015 (UTC)

External links modified

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Inspiration and relationships

This section seems weird to me. I don't see a lot of wiki articles including whom an individual is/was friends with. Also, in this list Audrey Lorde seems missing. http://mocada-museum.tumblr.com/post/73421979421/revolutionary-hope-a-conversation-between-james Wassermelone89 (talk) 17:02, 24 January 2016 (UTC)

Expatriate section needs citation

This statement could use a citation or recommend it be removed or edited: "During his life and after it, Baldwin would be seen not only as an influential African-American writer but also as an influential exile writer, particularly because of his numerous experiences outside the United States and the impact of these experiences on Baldwin's life and his writing." The phrase "exile writer" sounds like he was kicked out of the United States which did not happen if Baldwin simply moved overseas. Smlane (talk) 23:42, 29 January 2017 (UTC)

External links modified

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question on inspiration and relationships section

Inspired by a recent New York Times review of the new James Baldwin documentary, "I Am Not Your Negro," I checked out the Wiki page on Mr. Baldwin. The paragraph mentioning the Baldwin-Kennedy meeting in the section entitled "Inspiration and Relationships" ends with the sentence (RF) "Kennedy referred to Baldwin as 'Martin Luther Queen' throughout his life." The source for this is a journal, Journal of Speculative Philosophy, pgs. 40-50. I read the journal article, and this remark about "Martin Luther Queen" is unsourced, and only states that JFK and RFK "used to refer" to him as Martin Luther Queen. Further research on the internet links this remark solely to JFK, sourced from Gore Vidal (possibly in an interview with Christopher Hitchens?), no friend to his former step-sister's husband and brother-in-law. I'd possibly grant the joke, but I believe that this sentence is inaccurate and misleading. Is there a better source for this slur? Certainly Martin Luther King and black leaders such as Eldridge Cleaver had issues with Mr. Baldwin's homosexuality. Perhaps this JFK/RFK (?) remark, if valid, could be placed in context in the "Social and Political Activism" section which addresses the black leaders' attitude towards Mr. Baldwin's sexual orientation?

Thanks,

Sreedb (talk) 16:18, 3 February 2017 (UTC)

Excellent point Sreedb, and thank you for the research you did on the topic. I took out that sentence (diff). If someone else finds an authoritative reference that supports the removed sentence, by all means mention that here and make whatever change you believe is appropriate in the article.   - Mark D Worthen PsyD (talk) 22:53, 11 May 2017 (UTC)

City Council names street for James Baldwin after delay

The Daily News reported that the City Council passed a resolution Thursday, January 22, 2015 to rename a Harlem street after literary lion James Baldwin, bringing closure to the “Go Tell it On the Mountain” writer’s kin and neighborhood activists who have pushed for the new title for more than two years. “For that not to happen, I was very frustrated,” said Trevor Baldwin, 40, the late author’s nephew. “I’m relieved that it’s finally going to happen.” The measure to re-name E. 128th St. between Madison and Fifth Aves. to James Baldwin Place stalled due to a slip-up from City Councilwoman Inez Dickens, whose office was late to introduce the resolution, a Dickens spokeswoman said. “The City Council does the renamings in two sets of legislation each calendar year,” spokeswoman Frances Escano said. “We weren’t able to submit it on time.” The delay didn’t stop hundreds of Harlem residents and family members of the internationally acclaimed writer from celebrating the inauguration of the street renaming in a ceremony timed for Baldwin’s birthday last August. — Preceding unsigned comment added by TrishIona (talk • contribs) 16:52, 17 May 2017 (UTC)

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Missing Works

A few of Baldwin's works are left out of the provided lists. They are as follows: "Black Anti-Semitism and Jewish Racism", an essay, and "The Life and Times of Ray Charles" a narrative collaboration with the musician Ray Charles, performed at the Newport Jazz Festival. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kc99138 (talk • contribs) 20:54, 14 February 2018 (UTC)

No name in the Street

A very few words mentioned about "No name in the Street" . In this book Mr. Baldwin writes not only about M.L. King Jr, but also about Algerians in France.According to Maya Angelou James Baldwin said that Algerians are the Negro of France, Mr. Baldwin had an empathy for them and considered Algerians his brothers. He called himself and Algerian people - "Les miserable" . That's why the Algerian war is one of the topics in the book "No Name in the Street". (documentary film "the price of the ticket)Lizzyap (talk) 08:06, 8 March 2018 (UTC)

James Baldwin was CIA?

We may never know if James Baldwin was CIA or not. But if this information were to be 'officially released' to the public we would then obviously know that he was. The company Baldwin keeps, and this is posthumously, includes retired CIA officers and other well known op-ed writers who source his material regularly. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.153.49.246 (talk) 16:30, 29 January 2020 (UTC)

Proof of Citation

Replying to S0091 -- "When adding links to material on external sites, please ensure that the external site is not violating the creator's copyright. If a note on the linked site credibly claims permission to host the material, or a note on the copyright holder's site grants such permission, leave a note on the article Talk page with a link to where we can find that note." - S0091 (talk) 15:26, 25 September 2020 (UTC)

I'd be glad to provide this information. The content linked below has been made available for access online by the original copyright owner and the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB), a collaboration between the Library of Congress and GBH to digitally preserve and make accessible public media archives. Each contributor is required to sign a Deed of Gift, which is an agreement between the contributor, GBH and the Library of Congress specifying how their content should be preserved and made accessible.

More details on this contribution process can be found on the website's contributor page: https://americanarchive.org/help/contribute/, and their mission can be found on their About page: https://americanarchive.org/about-the-american-archive.

Below are the AAPB linked items that are not violating the creator's copyright:

- The "External Video" item - 1963-06-24. “A Conversation With James Baldwin,” is a television interview recorded by WGBH following the Baldwin–Kennedy meeting.[124] - 1965-06-14. “Debate: Baldwin vs. Buckley,” recorded by the British Broadcast Corporation is a one-hour television special program featuring a debate between Baldwin and leading American conservative William F. Buckley, Jr., at the Cambridge Union, Cambridge University, England.[126] - 1975. “Assignment America; 119; Conversation with a Native Son,” from WNET features a television conversation between Baldwin and Maya Angelou.[128] - 1976. “Pantechnicon; James Baldwin,” is a radio program recorded by WGBH. Baldwin discusses his new book called "The Devil Finds Work" which is also representative of the way Baldwin takes a look at American films and myth.[129]

I have removed the UC Berkely Library links that I moved from the External Citation section to the Media Section, as I am not familiar with their origin.

Velodrome365 (talk) 18:39, 25 September 2020 (UTC)

No mention of communism

Why no mention of his membership with the communist party? In an interview with Nikki Giovanni he describes it as important for him and other blacks, while later proving to be unsafe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZmBy7C9gHQ — Preceding unsigned comment added by TLCD96 (talk • contribs) 23:57, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment

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