The Life of James Baldwin

Born in Harlem, New York in 1924, James Baldwin rose from the scrap heaps of poverty to literary prominence through diligence in his chosen profession. He was born an illegitimate child to a mother who was employed as a menial domestic worker and a brutal foster father who subjected him to massive abuse. Clearly, the early life of this prolific one, notwithstanding this, he cultivated a strong reading habit that served as the breeding ground for his eventual eminence as a celebrated writer.
As a teenager, he got converted to the Christian faith and eventually becoming the official preacher of a small local Pentecostal church. During this period of his life, the Youngman had a dual exposure to the horrors of life blindfolded under the guise of religious emancipation. Situations lead him into a long wondrous journey that took him into places in mainland Europe such as France and Switzerland. Along these journeys, his understanding of the root causes of the existent racially inspired social order that prevailed in America owe its origin to a place. In Europe James Baldwin was discontented with the apparent feeling of loneliness and being alien. Appalled by these events his resolve to wrestle down the system became crystallized, hence his resolve to return to America from Europe to join in the ongoing civil rights struggle. His most significant contribution was the active role he played in advocating against the desegregation policy in Southern schools.

The Works of James Baldwin
It is evident from the foregoing that the voracious reading habit of young James Baldwin did play a significant role in developing his literary skills. For instance at an early teenage life, his skills were sprouting as his writings begun to receive publishing attention. His major debut was published in a local church journal. It should be stated that, James Baldwin did not have it all rosy in his quest to become a writing guru. It is on record that, he encountered a series of frustrations from publishers who declined to accept his work on grounds that are as flimsy as the policy that influenced the social order. In similar situations the growing writer became the target of a series of tongue lashing press campaigns. Some of the reviews written about his work in papers like the New York Times were not particularly pleasant. These however never dampened his resolve and enthusiasm.
Of all his writings the ace James Baldwin is particularly reputed for authoring the fictional novel “Go tell it on the mountain.” A novel that is written in a semi-autobiographical fashion bringing to the fore the saga of secret sins, guilt and religious hostility in an atmosphere characterized by gross level of social injustice.

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