1. A Biography of

2. James Baldwin (1924-1987)
American Novelist, Essayist, Dramatist, and Social Critic

3. Early Life
 Born in Harlem in 1924
 Was raised by his
mother, Berdis, and his
abusive step father,
David
 He turned to books and
writing as an escape
from the abuse at home
(Leeming 62)
 Wrote his first published
work at age 12
(Standley)
 Became a minister at
age 14 (Leeming 62)

4. Education
 Attended public
elementary school in
the city
 Graduated from
DeWitt Clinton High
School in 1942
 Was encouraged by
his teachers to
pursue his writing
talents
(Leeming 62)

5. Personal Life
 Faced an inner struggle
between religion and his
writing, as well as
difficulties of being black
in a white society
 Was openly
homosexual, and
explored sexuality in his
novel, Giovanni’s Room
 Became a major civil
rights spokesman
(Leeming 62)

6. Major Works
 Go Tell It on the
Mountain (1953)
 Notes of a Native Son
(1955)
 Giovanni’s Room
(1956)
 Nobody Knows My
Name (1961)
 Another Country
(1962)
 The Fire Next Time
(1963)

7. Awards
 Eugene F. Saxton Fellowship
(1945)
 Rosenwald Fellowship (1948)
 Guggenheim Fellowship
(1954)
 Partisan Review Fellowship
(1956)
 National Institute of Arts and
Letters grant (1956)
 Ford Foundation grant (1959)
 National Conference of
Christinas and Jews
Brotherhood Award (1962)
 George Polk Award (1963)
 Foreign Drama Critics Award
(1964)
 Elected, National Institute of
Arts and Letters (1964)
(Standley)

8. Late Life and Death
 Taught at several
American colleges in
the 1980s after
falling ill
 Died of cancer in
France in 1987
 Just Above My Head
was his last novel,
written in 1979
(Leeming 62)

9. How Baldwin’s Life Impacted
His Works
 Many parallels can be drawn between
his stories and his life
 Reflections of Baldwin can be seen in
his characters
 His works involve issues such as racial
conflict, which Baldwin experienced
himself
 Religion is present in his stories, which
was an important part of his own life

10. Works Cited
Leeming, David. "James Baldwin (1924-1987)." Benet's Reader's
Encyclopedia of American Literature(1991): 62. Literature Resource
Center. Web. 9 Jul 2012.
Standley, Fred. "James (Arthur) Baldwin." Dictionary of Literary
Biography 2. (1978): n.pag. Literature Resource Center. Web. 9 Jul
2012.