Baldwin, James Arthur (1924–1987)

US writer and civil-rights activist. He portrayed with vivid intensity the suffering and despair of African-Americans in contemporary society. After his first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953), set in Harlem, and Giovanni's Room (1956), about a homosexual relationship in Paris, his writing became more politically indignant with Another Country (1962) and The Fire Next Time (1963), a collection of essays.

Born in Harlem, New York City, the illegitimate son of a servant, Baldwin adopted the name of his stepfather. After being brought up in poverty, Baldwin graduated from high school and, after a number of badly paid jobs, wrote book reviews and essays for a number of magazines. He lived in Europe for ten years and then returned to the USA, where he became involved in the southern school desegregation movement. Other works include his play The Amen Corner (1955), the autobiographical essays Notes of a Native Son (1955), and the novel Just Above My Head (1979).