ENCOUNTERS WITH JAMES BALDWIN

Editors Sesay and Robson present an anthology of pieces inspired by one of America’s greatest writers.

This year marks the centenary of the birth of James Baldwin, an essayist and novelist whose reputation seems only to grow by the year. “Long before terms like ‘intersectionality’ and ‘non-binary’ entered our common parlance, Baldwin recognised the complex ambiguities that define our sexual identity,” writes activist and educator Stella Dadzie in her introduction. “His bequest to future generations was a fierce abhorrence of injustice and an equally fierce belief in the enduring power of love.” This anthology collects essays and poems inspired by Baldwin’s life and work from people who knew him personally or simply came to know him through his writing. Lindsay Barrett recalls meeting the author in Paris, where the famous Baldwin complimented him on a piece he had published and offered to read a draft of his novel. Nii Ayikwei Parkes writes about first discovering Baldwin “when I needed him, in a library in Reading, after a newspaper round on the same foldable green bike that I had ridden into a busy traffic intersection when I felt my father leave the earth.” Scholars like Toyin Agbetu and Michelle Yaa Asantewa excavate the worldview that underpinned Baldwin’s writing, while poets including Roy McFarlane and Ewuare X. Osayande grapple with his ideas in verse. The book also contains numerous photographs of Baldwin from various periods of his life. The pieces are numerous and relatively short, treating the reader to a sampling of perspectives on Baldwin that demonstrate his profound influence not only on writers but also on various academic fields and artistic media. Uniting them is Baldwin’s belief that, despite the tragedies of the past and present, there may still be a bright future ahead. As Parkes writes, “His essays carried and still carry more hope in the world than I have, and I desperately needed hope.”

A symphonic and deeply felt tribute to the life and work of James Baldwin.