Baldwin, Styron, and me
Edition
First edition.
Languages
In English, translated from the French.
Publication Information
Windsor, Ontario : Biblioasis, [2025]
Physical Description
177 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm
Uniform Title
Summary
"In 1961, James Baldwin spent several months in William Styron's guest house. The two wrote during the day, then spent evenings confiding in each other and talking about race in America. During one of those conversations, Baldwin is said to have convinced his friend to write, in first person, the story of the 1831 slave rebellion led by Nat Turner. 'The confessions of Nat Turner' was published to critical acclaim, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1968, and also creating outrage in part of the African American community. Decades later, the controversy around cultural appropriation, identity, and the rights and responsibilities of the writer still resonates. In 'Baldwin, Styron, and me,' Mélikah Abdelmoumen considers the writers' surprising yet vital friendship from her standpoint as a racialized woman torn by the often unidimensional versions of her own identity put forth by today's politics and media. Considering questions of identity, race, equity, and the often contentious public debates about these topics, Abdelmoumen works to create a space where the answers are found by first learning how to listen--even in disagreement"--Inside cover flap.
Notes
Translation of: Baldwin, Styron et moi.
Contents
- Me, them, you, us
- William and James
- William and Nat
- The polemic
- The debate
- In the after-Nat
- In the place of the Other
- Baldwin, Styron, and us.
Subjects
- Race in literature.
- Identity (Philosophical concept) in literature.
- American literature > 20th century > History and criticism.
- Authors, American > 20th century.
- Cultural appropriation.
- Styron, William, 1925-2006 > Friends and associates.
- Styron, William, 1925-2006 > Criticism and interpretation.
- Baldwin, James, 1924-1987 > Friends and associates.
- Baldwin, James, 1924-1987 > Criticism and interpretation.