In the darkness of Giovanni's Room the reader comes across not only a love affair that blossoms between two people but also a story that defies preconceptions. James Baldwin's 1957 novel proved to be controversial for various reasons: the main characters are two white men; it takes place in Paris, far away from the social upheaval the US was undergoing at the time. And finally it places the theme of homosexuality, still a taboo subject in most black literature, at the heart of the narrative.
Baldwin's standing as a writer did not suffer too much as he had already published a very successful novel (Go Tell it On the Mountain) and a trail-blazing collection of essays, Native Son. Therefore Giovanni's Room was seen mainly as an exploration into themes like homosexual love, misogyny and the cultural gap between nations.
David's confusion renders the novel its tragic tone. In trying to commit to his girlfriend and attempting to keep Giovanni, David leads the latter towards his tragic fate. Critics have always been divided as to whether the outcome of the affair was intended as punishment for Giovanni, the only one of the two men who wants to take their relationship further.
In the same way that David in the novel is faced with the choice between his American fiancée and his European boyfriend, Baldwin, too, grappled with alienation from the culture whence he came. His intention was to be acknowledged simply as a writer, yet the pervasive racism in the United States hindered those ambitions. Hence Giovanni's Room importance in freeing the young Baldwin and allowing him to wander through territories that most black writers at that time would have eschewed.
This review appeared first on Catch a Vibe, a new online alternative guide to black culture in London.
Copyright 2008
25 comments:
Baldwin was brave. Too often we are afraid to confront the intersections of race and sexuality.
I just wanted to say thank you for dropping by the blog :D
shine, you're right, he was brave and he was attacked by other writers (unjustly, I think) for defying conventions.
jemima, you're welcome.
Greetings from London.
Gracias por pasarte por mi blog, te leeré lo que mi nivel de inglés me permita ;)
Beso!
Gracias, nai, por devolverme la visita.
Saludos desde Londres.
Nice text !
shine makes me smile...
Have a good day !
And the pervasive racism is still here half a century later...
I've never read any of his books. I now have Mahlia Jackson's version of Go Tell it on a Mountain stuck in my head though...
(The cover art would have made me pick up the book, btw...)
Thanks, webradio and diva. This review is part of a project I have developed with Catch a Vibe to coincide with the American election.
Greetings from London.
Thank you for visiting my blog. Glad the good sunshine is continuing in London. Autumn is often beautiful there, as you say. I love your Sanskrit Poem; so beautiful, and uplifting on a day like today. Or any other, for that matter!
And I haven't read "Giovanni's Room", but I will. We're lucky that the pejudices that existed then are a BIT more tempered today than they were in the 1950s. Well in most of Europe, at least!
Thanks, columnist, and I'm glad that you're liking London. It's a great city.
Greetings from... London. :-)
I love Giovanni's Room!
Thanks for stopping by my blog!
I'm not familiar with this book, but earlier this week, I read and later took home an issue of Echo magazine (A local LGBT Community publication) citing Baldwin, Beam and Hughes as some of the pioneers in Black Gay History. It left me wanting more, as does your review. I'll have to read Giovanni's Room. Thanks, and have an enjoyable weekend.
I haven't read this book, but was fascinated by this post. Must look into it.
I love that you quoted Sting in your header and used his full, real name! Made me smile.
Thanks to everyone for your kind comments. I can't recommend Giovanni's Room enough. Seek it out. It definitely is worth reading!
Greetings from London.
Gracias, Cuban, por estas notas literarias tuyas, como siempre, tan completas.
Un abrazo,
AB
Amigo eres de verdad un hombre con una bella educacion. Y tambien un Escorpion? Wow! Bueno, pronto sera su cumpleños haci que le deceo lo mejor y muchas felicidades.
Very thoughtful report. What are you doing in London?
ah, one of my favorite books of all time!
Thanks to everyone. Yoli, my birthday is on the same day as my city's, Havana, 16th Nov.
Ces, I work with local communities in my neck of the woods in London and try to improve the lives of people for whom the transition from one culture to the British one might be a bit too hard. I hope I am doing a good job, it definitely is challenging and fulfilling in equal measure. I also review books and music and occasionally contribute the odd article here and there for the national press.
Agu, como siempre, un placer.
Thanks for your kind comments.
Greetings from London.
Me encanta tus recensiones. Ahora me siento un poco ignorante por no conocer al autor. :-( Gracias por iluminarme !
Y gracias a ti por pasar, lena. No es la ignorancia lo que importa porque todos padecemos de ella, es el deseo de vencerla lo que nos une.
Saludos desde Londres.
i've never gotten into baldwin's work. (not for any particular reason)
this sounds pretty interesting...
Please, do, fly, do, it is probably his most challenging work. I liked 'Go Tell it On the Mountain' but not to the same extent of this.
Greetings from London.
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