Go Tell It On The Mountain By James Arthur Baldwin
James Arthur Baldwin:
James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was a great American novelist and essayist. A contemporary of Martin Luther King, Jr., he was sharp critic of social inequalities of his time. He is taken as the first great writer who touched upon the topics of racial discrimination and homosexuality. In his essays, he discussed the intense complexities of socio-cultural conflicts in mid-20th-century America, in particular and in Western societies in general, but with great precision. He had a unique style of fictionalizing the living characters, and dramatizing the social unfairness; which characteristic, he demonstrated both in novels and essays.
Early Life:
He was born in New York, to a family living in the Harlem, …show more content…
He continued to publish and associate with that magazine till his death in 1987. In 1953, Baldwin's first novel, “Go Tell It on the Mountain”, was published and his first collection of essays, “Notes of a Native Son” appeared two years later. He continued to express in different forms of writing, throughout his career; poetry and dramas as well as the fiction and essays for which he was known. Baldwin's second novel, Giovanni's Room was published in 1956, which contained homoerotic content, and triggered a controversy. Baldwin’s readers were expecting him to write about his African-American experience but he would mainly focus on white characters. His next two works, “Another Country” and “Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone”, are extensive and experimental novels, dealing with black and white characters; that are characterized with their heterosexual, gay, and bisexual behavior. Baldwin continued with the same trend in next lengthy essay "Down at the Cross" (commonly known as “The Fire Next Time” after the name of the book in which this essay was appeared). This essay landed him on The Time’s cover in 1963. By this time, Baldwin had become a known spokesperson for civil rights and a noted celebrity, championing the cause of black Americans. His next long essay, “No Name in the Street”, is indicative of his pain in the context of assassinations of three of his personal friends: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King,
James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was a great American novelist and essayist. A contemporary of Martin Luther King, Jr., he was sharp critic of social inequalities of his time. He is taken as the first great writer who touched upon the topics of racial discrimination and homosexuality. In his essays, he discussed the intense complexities of socio-cultural conflicts in mid-20th-century America, in particular and in Western societies in general, but with great precision. He had a unique style of fictionalizing the living characters, and dramatizing the social unfairness; which characteristic, he demonstrated both in novels and essays.
Early Life:
He was born in New York, to a family living in the Harlem, …show more content…
He continued to publish and associate with that magazine till his death in 1987. In 1953, Baldwin's first novel, “Go Tell It on the Mountain”, was published and his first collection of essays, “Notes of a Native Son” appeared two years later. He continued to express in different forms of writing, throughout his career; poetry and dramas as well as the fiction and essays for which he was known. Baldwin's second novel, Giovanni's Room was published in 1956, which contained homoerotic content, and triggered a controversy. Baldwin’s readers were expecting him to write about his African-American experience but he would mainly focus on white characters. His next two works, “Another Country” and “Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone”, are extensive and experimental novels, dealing with black and white characters; that are characterized with their heterosexual, gay, and bisexual behavior. Baldwin continued with the same trend in next lengthy essay "Down at the Cross" (commonly known as “The Fire Next Time” after the name of the book in which this essay was appeared). This essay landed him on The Time’s cover in 1963. By this time, Baldwin had become a known spokesperson for civil rights and a noted celebrity, championing the cause of black Americans. His next long essay, “No Name in the Street”, is indicative of his pain in the context of assassinations of three of his personal friends: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King,