#james-baldwin

#james-baldwin

In 1965, an electrifying debate took place at the Cambridge Union Society. The speakers were James Baldwin, an acclaimed American novelist and civil rights activist, and William F. Buckley Jr., a conservative intellectual. The motion debated was 'The American Dream is at the expense of the American Negro'. The overflowing hall was packed to the rafters. Baldwin won the debate by 544 votes to 164. 60 years have passed, yet it echoes down the decades with issues raised still relevant today.

Deliberating over the Atlantic 10 list is, in some ways, a test of memory. Does a novel we read in January still thrill us? Does the reportage that impressed us midyear still feel surprising when we turn back to it in the fall? We're asking ourselves, in short, which books have kept our attention, sometimes months after we've first encountered them.

Who did James Baldwin love and how did those relationships shape his work? Author and scholar Nicholas Boggs set out to answer these questions in a remarkable new biography of the late American writer. Baldwin: A Love Story centers Baldwin's queer relationships alongside his relationships with family and friends in order to better understand the creative process behind classics such as Giovanni's Room and The Fire Next Time.