This 100% convinced me to read . I’m a straight black man I’ve known about and loved Baldwin for a long time and it is a literal crime how underrated and unspoken of he is in Black revolutionary spaces because of his sexuality.
did you read it? would love to hear your thoughts. as a gay man, it helped me realize what internalized shame and fear can lead to, those are what people should really be afraid of.
James Baldwin should be mandatory reading in every US college literature course; such an amazing author, thinker, and orator truly. I really enjoyed you sharing your experiences and thoughts in this one thank you Prince! Also shout out to Left Bank Books Collective that place is a gem 💜
First, thank you for the insightful and personal story about Giovannis' Room. I read it in the 90s and didn't seem to get the brilliance of James Baldwin until I did it again in 2019 in addition to reading critiques about the book. It was such an eye opener to how rich and great a writer Baldwin was. The story stays with me for its romanticism, queer desires, and doom love since at the time I seemed to have dating challenge at my younger days. Now I have a wonderful and loving husband.
Thanks for weaving in Ocean Vuong’s view - it blends in so well with your sentiment. I’ll have to watch the entire interview. I remember flipping through the pages of The Fire Next Time in 2018. One sharp line caught my attention and got me nodding my head in agreement: “If the concept of God has any validity or any use, it can only be to make us larger, freer, and more loving. If God cannot do this, then it is time we got rid of Him.” Few years later I read Go Tell It On The Mountain and I could feel Baldwin’s complex feelings about Christianity manifesting through the protagonist. With your thorough research into his life and various forms of writings, I’d love to see a deep dive into his relationship with Christianity!
i neverrr saw the surrealist interpretation of the passage, i had alwasy seen it an david being hateful towards queer people in his descriptions again. Your interpretation has added a whole new layer of beauty, esp loving the idea of a dead giovanni warning david and being again rejected
I can’t wait for this video! I’m currently reading the second half (part two) of the book, and can’t wait to articulate my thoughts. This is my second James Baldwin book I read this year behind If Beale Street could talk.
Thank you for another thought-provoking video! Earlier in the novel, after David wakes up after sleeping with his friend Joey, he laments, "That body suddenly seemed the black opening of a cavern in which I would be tortured till madness came, in which I would lose my manhood." I think this "cavern" is related to the monster you mentioned. At this moment, I believe David internalizes shame, and it becomes a monster that haunts him throughout the rest of the novel.
I just finished reading it one hour ago and was looking to hear some thoughts about the book. i stumbled upon your video and recognized you (we met in Île St Denis in 2018). I read it in french and remember vividly the scene you read at the bar, the moment he says they all had seen the beginning of something it puts so well in to perspective all the pressure David is feeling, that was brilliant. This book was, in many ways, very painful to read, because it is so intimate, it exposes the deepest fears of every single character, how they are building their defense mechanisms and in doing so, so clearly exposing themselves. All the conversations were so honest. And in fact, this book for me is a lot about honesty, as if the truth was such a powerful force that you can't turn your back on, or escape it, or hide from it, it's omnipresent. I got this feeling specially at the end, and loved every single character.
I am a HUGE James Baldwin fan, and in all probability, I may have just about all of his books. Giovanni’s Room, should be mandatory reading for every high school and/or college student. Doing my MFA in Creative Writing, James Baldwin was my focus, and that allowed me to take a deeper look at myself and the gay world and world in general on a larger scale, and how and where I fit into that.
8:29 I’m interested in what podcast this is if you still have the name please! PS As a nearly-lifelong James Baldwin fan I really appreciate the depth of your analyses and the way you’re able to weave these complexities of Baldwins life and writing into gorgeous and concise theses. I have so much belief in your work and your channel ❤
I'm doing this book for my AP English Lit. project in my conservative Christian school. It's going to be interesting to see my teacher's reaction to it lmao
James Baldwin is the kind of writer that if I were aspired to be a writer, he’d destroy me, simply because of how brilliant he is. I often was stricken by a sentence or a passage he wrote which I do not dare to come up with myself even in my wildest dreams, and he’s got a truck load of them.
This 100% convinced me to read . I’m a straight black man I’ve known about and loved Baldwin for a long time and it is a literal crime how underrated and unspoken of he is in Black revolutionary spaces because of his sexuality.
did you read it? would love to hear your thoughts. as a gay man, it helped me realize what internalized shame and fear can lead to, those are what people should really be afraid of.
James Baldwin should be mandatory reading in every US college literature course; such an amazing author, thinker, and orator truly. I really enjoyed you sharing your experiences and thoughts in this one thank you Prince!
Also shout out to Left Bank Books Collective that place is a gem 💜
Thank you so much for watching
First, thank you for the insightful and personal story about Giovannis' Room. I read it in the 90s and didn't seem to get the brilliance of James Baldwin until I did it again in 2019 in addition to reading critiques about the book. It was such an eye opener to how rich and great a writer Baldwin was. The story stays with me for its romanticism, queer desires, and doom love since at the time I seemed to have dating challenge at my younger days. Now I have a wonderful and loving husband.
Very thoughtful and artfully crafted reflection. The world needs more people like you
I love how passionate you are about Literature I enjoy watching ppl like that
Thanks for weaving in Ocean Vuong’s view - it blends in so well with your sentiment. I’ll have to watch the entire interview.
I remember flipping through the pages of The Fire Next Time in 2018. One sharp line caught my attention and got me nodding my head in agreement: “If the concept of God has any validity or any use, it can only be to make us larger, freer, and more loving. If God cannot do this, then it is time we got rid of Him.”
Few years later I read Go Tell It On The Mountain and I could feel Baldwin’s complex feelings about Christianity manifesting through the protagonist. With your thorough research into his life and various forms of writings, I’d love to see a deep dive into his relationship with Christianity!
i neverrr saw the surrealist interpretation of the passage, i had alwasy seen it an david being hateful towards queer people in his descriptions again. Your interpretation has added a whole new layer of beauty, esp loving the idea of a dead giovanni warning david and being again rejected
It's so so good.
Ocean Vuong's perspective at the end was an eye opener for this cis straight homie. thank you for all the knowledge you help bring to this platform
Glad to share great writers
I can’t wait for this video! I’m currently reading the second half (part two) of the book, and can’t wait to articulate my thoughts. This is my second James Baldwin book I read this year behind If Beale Street could talk.
Thank you for another thought-provoking video! Earlier in the novel, after David wakes up after sleeping with his friend Joey, he laments, "That body suddenly seemed the black opening of a cavern in which I would be tortured till madness came, in which I would lose my manhood." I think this "cavern" is related to the monster you mentioned. At this moment, I believe David internalizes shame, and it becomes a monster that haunts him throughout the rest of the novel.
I just finished reading it one hour ago and was looking to hear some thoughts about the book. i stumbled upon your video and recognized you (we met in Île St Denis in 2018). I read it in french and remember vividly the scene you read at the bar, the moment he says they all had seen the beginning of something it puts so well in to perspective all the pressure David is feeling, that was brilliant. This book was, in many ways, very painful to read, because it is so intimate, it exposes the deepest fears of every single character, how they are building their defense mechanisms and in doing so, so clearly exposing themselves. All the conversations were so honest. And in fact, this book for me is a lot about honesty, as if the truth was such a powerful force that you can't turn your back on, or escape it, or hide from it, it's omnipresent. I got this feeling specially at the end, and loved every single character.
I am a HUGE James Baldwin fan, and in all probability, I may have just about all of his books. Giovanni’s Room, should be mandatory reading for every high school and/or college student. Doing my MFA in Creative Writing, James Baldwin was my focus, and that allowed me to take a deeper look at myself and the gay world and world in general on a larger scale, and how and where I fit into that.
I really appreciate you and your posts please keep goinggggg
Thank you, I will
Found this looking around for Baldwin content generally. Excellent stuff here. "What have I escaped?"
I believe you’ll blow up soon ! you make so much consistently great content
Oh that's so kind. I love RUclips and feel like I'm learning more about editing. Just hope what I'm saying resonates
You convinced me, it's on the list!
I read this books years ago. I remember when i was introduced to Baldwin when i was a little girl. He was a staple in my family home growing up.
Go Tell It On the Mountain was my introduction to James Baldwin
That ocean Vuong clip… DAMN
8:29 I’m interested in what podcast this is if you still have the name please! PS As a nearly-lifelong James Baldwin fan I really appreciate the depth of your analyses and the way you’re able to weave these complexities of Baldwins life and writing into gorgeous and concise theses. I have so much belief in your work and your channel ❤
I'm doing this book for my AP English Lit. project in my conservative Christian school. It's going to be interesting to see my teacher's reaction to it lmao
James Baldwin is the kind of writer that if I were aspired to be a writer, he’d destroy me, simply because of how brilliant he is. I often was stricken by a sentence or a passage he wrote which I do not dare to come up with myself even in my wildest dreams, and he’s got a truck load of them.
He's both inspiring and intimidating
read Profane Friendship and The Runaway Soul by Harold Brodkey. He died of AIDS
Want to be critique partners? Just finished a book 97k words. Would love someone with a passion for reading to give feedback.
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