In the centenary year of his birth, thor Jam Baldw has only gaed stature for the wisdom wh which he wrote about beg black and gay when wasn’t easy beg eher.
Contents:
- WHY BEG “GAY THE ’70S NEW YORK AND L.A. WAS MAGIC” — AND HOW HOLLYWOOD HAS CHANGED (GUT COLUMN)
- LIVG BLACK & GAY THE ’50SVISNARYIN THE CENTENARY YEAR OF HIS BIRTH, THOR JAM BALDW HAS ONLY GAED STATURE FOR THE WISDOM WH WHICH HE WROTE ABOUT BEG BLACK AND GAY WHEN WASN’T EASY BEG EHER.ALA MABANCKOUUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 1:21PM EDT / PUBLISHED DEC. 03, 2014 5:45AM EST ULF ANRSEN/GETTY IMAGYOU BSHED OFF LABELS LIKE “NEGRO,” “GHETTO BOY,” “BASTARD,” AND, MORE THAN ANYTHG, “FAGGOT.”IF JAM CAMPBELL, HIS BGRAPHY OF YOU, FIGHTS AGAST THE LATTER LABEL PARTICULAR—AN EASY SULT FOR MOST OF YOUR ADVERSARI— IS BEE HE IS AWARE THAT YOUR HOMOSEXUALY FOR YOU IS THE EXPRSN OF YOUR EEDOM, A WAY OF BEG YOURSELF, AND NOT THE EXPRSN OF SOME VIATN OR, HIS TERMS, OF SOME “GEIC AMBIVALENCE,” FNS THAT DISTORT THE UNRSTANDG OF ANY DIVIDUAL.IN YOUR DAY, THE NTRADICTN WAS OBV: ON THE ONE HAND, YOUR UNTRY HELD UP DIVIDUAL EEDOM TO THE LEVEL OF A MOCRATIC IAL, BUT, ON THE OTHER, SANCTNED RACIAL SEGREGATN. CONSEQUENTLY, AS DWIGHT A. MCBRI ATTTS, THE IOLOGIL NONTATN BETWEEN PALIST AND MUNIST FACTNS WOULD ALTER THE DISURSE ON SEX, RACE, AND THE AIN-AMERIN MUNY. YOU WOULD HAVE A VOICE THIS DISURSE … IN FACT, AFTER WELG YOUR ARTICLE “EVERYBODY’S PROTT NOVEL” TO S FIRST EDN, THE JOURNAL ZERO PUBLISHED ANOTHER OF YOUR ARTICL THE FOLLOWG ISSUE, ENTLED “PRERVATN OF INNOCENCE.” IT IS A BRIEF TEXT WH PHILOSOPHIL LEANGS THAT REVOLV AROUND THE NOTNS OF NORMALY AND ABNORMALY HUMAN NATURE. THE SAGA OF THE HOMOSEXUAL, ACRDG TO YOUR ANALYSIS, IS THAT HE MT ALWAYS NONT THE MOST PROFOUND GRIEF: THAT HE IS ABNORMAL BEE HE HAS OPTED TO TURN HIMSELF AWAY OM HIS ORIGAL FUNCTN, THAT OF A PROCREATOR, FOR A RELATNSHIP BOUND TO STERILY. SCE HOMOSEXUALY IS AS OLD AS THE HUMAN RACE, THE MOST SUABLE ATTU WOULD BE TO NSIR AS A MATERIAL PONENT OF NORMALY. SEX, WH S MYTHS, NONTS WH THE PLEXY OF OUR BEHAVRS AND OUR BELIEFS. YOU REMD THAT MEN AND WOMEN HAVE IMPERFECTN MON, AND ARE DIVISIBLE. BEE OF THIS, TAMPERG WH THE NATURE OF ONE HAS AN IMPACT ON THE NATURE OF THE OTHER. THEIR ABSOLUTE SEPARATN—MAN HAVG TO FORT HIMSELF HIS MASCULY, AND WOMAN ASSURG HER OWN FUNCTN AS A WOMAN—WOULD STROY EACH OF THEIR SOULS. ALTHOUGH IS OFTEN REPEATED THAT WOMEN ARE MORE GENTLE, LEGENDS SUATE THAT THEY MAY BE “MYTHILLY AND EVEN HISTORILLY, TREACHERO.” NOVELS, POETRY, THEATER, AND FABL HAVE SOMETIM ENTERTAED THIS PARADOX, WHICH ONLY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE IS PABLE OF FIRST CLARIFYG, THEN BLOCKG YOU YOUR TRACKS. “THIS IS A PARADOX WHICH EXPERIENCE ALONE IS ABLE TO ILLUMATE AND THIS EXPERIENCE IS NOT MUNIBLE ANY LANGUAGE THAT WE KNOW. THE REGNN OF THIS PLEXY IS THE SIGNAL OF MATURY; MARKS THE ATH OF THE CHILD AND THE BIRTH OF THE MAN.” “PRERVATN OF INNOCENCE” REMAS THE VERY FIRST TEXT WHICH YOU SPEAK EXPLICLY ABOUT HOMOSEXUALY, BEFORE NTUG TO EXPLORE THIS THEME YOUR FOLLOWG WORKS, MOST NOTABLY YOUR SEND NOVEL, GVANNI’S ROOM.IN JANUARY 1985, TWO YEARS BEFORE YOUR ATH, YOU PUBLISH ANOTHER ARTICLE, “FREAKS AND THE AMERIN IAL OF MANHOOD,” THE FAMO EROTIC AMERIN MAGAZE, PLAYBOY, FOUND 1953 BY HUGH HEFNER. THIS MONTHLY PERDIL WEL WRERS OM TIME TO TIME; THE WORLD’S LEADG WRERS HAVE PUBLISHED HERE, CLUDG VLADIMIR NABOKOV, IAN FLEMG, AND MARGARET ATWOOD.IN “FREAKS AND THE AMERIN IAL OF MANHOOD,” YOU EXAME THE NOTN OF MASCULY BY DRAWG ON A MULTU OF TOBGRAPHIL ELEMENTS. YOU LOOK AT YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE AS A HOMOSEXUAL AND TRY TO UNRSTAND THE MALIC GAZE OF THE OTHER, PARTICULAR THE AMERIN HETEROSEXUAL MALE.STARTG WH THE IA OF ANDROGYNY, YOU ARGUE THAT THERE IS A WOMAN EVERY MAN, AND VICE VERSA. AS A NSEQUENCE, “… LOVE BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN, OR LOVE BETWEEN ANY TWO HUMAN BEGS, WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE DID WE NOT HAVE AVAILABLE TO THE SPIRUAL ROURC OF BOTH SEX.” HOWEVER THE AMERIN SEXUAL IAL IS TIMATELY RELATED TO A CERTA IA OF MASCULY. IT IS THIS IAL THAT CREAT, AMONG OTHER THGS, “… WBOYS AND INDIANS, GOOD GUYS AND BAD GUYS, PUNKS AND STUDS, TOUGH GUYS AND SOFTI, BUTCH AND FAGGOT, BLACK AND WHE.” THE YOUNG, AMERIN MAN WILL THEREFORE VELOP WH THIS IMAGARY PLEX…YOUR FIRST HOMOSEXUAL EXPERIENC—EVEN IF THEY ARE THEN LIMED TO A FEW ENUNTERS—TAKE PLACE THE BARS OF GREENWICH VILLAGE. NEW YORK CY AT THE TIME, ACRDG TO MCBRI, ATTRACTS MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE EXPLORG AND EXPRSG THEIR SEXUAL DIFFERENCE. IN GREENWICH VILLAGE, YOU AND SEVERAL OTHER “FAGGOTS” ENDURE THE JIB OF THE “MORAL POLICE”: “THERE WERE ONLY ABOUT THREE OF , IF I REMEMBER RRECTLY, WHEN I FIRST H THOSE STREETS, AND I WAS THE YOUNGT, THE MOST VISIBLE, AND THE MOST VULNERABLE.”AT THE AGE OF SIXTEEN THE BAD GUYS CHASE YOU, OFTEN UNR THE AMED AND PLIC WATCH OF POLICEMEN. THIS MAK YOU SAY THAT WAS NOT THE POLICE YOU FEARED, BUT RATHER THE GUYS WHO CID THAT YOU TARNISHED THE RPECTABILY OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.SEEK SHELTER? WHERE? IN A MOVIE THEATER? THERE YOU HAD TO FEAR THE WANRG HAND OF AN OLR MAN, OR ANOTHER MAN WHO, STANDG ONT OF A DISPLAY OF PORNOGRAPHIC MAGAZ, LOOKS AT YOU WH EY THAT SAY EVERYTHG: “THERE WERE ALL KDS OF MEN, MOSTLY YOUNG AND, THOSE DAYS, ALMOST EXCLIVELY WHE.” RICHARD WRIGHT WOULD NEVER SEE EYE TO EYE WH YOU ABOUT YOUR LIFTYLE. HOMOSEXUALY FOR HIM WAS LKED TO PERVERSN. HE DO NOT SHY AWAY OM GENERALIZATNS, SCE HE REMARKS TO ONE OF HIS IENDS, WHEN TALKG ABOUT YOU, “IT’S ALWAYS THE SAME THG WH THE HOMOS” OR, AGA, “SURE HE N WRE, BUT HE’S A FAGGOT.”***THE PUBLITN OF GVANNI’S ROOM 1953 IS QUE AN EVENT. THERE ARE THREE REASONS FOR THIS: THE NOVEL DO NOT TAKE PLACE AMERI, THERE ARE NO BLACK CHARACTERS, AND THE HOMOSEXUALY OF THE HERO IS CLEARLY STATED.FRANCE IS THE BACKDROP FOR GVANNI’S ROOM, NOT WHOUT REASON. THIS SPATIAL DISPLACEMENT REVEALS YOUR THIRST FOR EEDOM, YOUR SIRE FOR OPENNS AND TO BREAK WH THE PROTT NOVEL. YOUR MA CHARACTER BREAKS EE OM THE ARCHETYPE OF THE AIN-AMERIN NOVEL: DAVID IS NOT BLACK. HE REMBL NOTHG OF JOHN GRIM, YOUR “DOUBLE” GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTA, NSIRED AT THE TIME TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST BOOKS ABOUT THE BLACK NDN.DAVID EQUENTS THE HOMOSEXUAL I PARIS WHILE HIS FIANCéE, WHE AND AMERIN, IS TRAVELG SPA. THE NOVEL TAK A UNIQUE LOOK AT THE QUT FOR SEXUAL INTY, THIS WAY BUILDG UPON REFLECTNS MA “THE PRERVATN OF INNOCENCE” AND THAT YOU PURSUE, NEAR THE TWILIGHT OF YOUR LIFE, “FREAKS AND THE AMERIN IAL OF MANHOOD.”ON THE BACK VER OF THE FIRST PAPERBACK EDN WE GET A GLIMPSE OF THE MEDIA BUZZ.THE NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE CELEBRAT “THE STORY OF A YOUNG AMERIN MAN GRAPPLG SIMULTANEOLY WH THE LOVE OF A MAN AND A WOMAN,” BEFORE ADDG THAT “MR. BALDW NAVIGAT THE ISSU WH AN EXCEPTNAL GREE OF NDOR, AND YET, WH SUCH DIGNY AND TENSY THAT HE AVOIDS THE TRAP OF SENSATNALISM.” THE EVENG STANDARD, FOR THEIR PART, IS EVEN MORE WON OVER: “PROBABLY THE BT AND CERTALY THE MOST ANK NOVEL ABOUT HOMOSEXUALY YEARS …”THE STORY IS HEART WRENCHG, AS MUCH FOR THE CHARACTERS’ ANGUISH AS FOR THE BETY OF THE WRG, RENRED LIVELY AND SENSUAL THROUGH S POETIC TENSY AND THE STRENGTH OF S IMAGERY. RATHER THAN MULLG OVER THE LLECTIVE UNRT OVER THE BLACK NDN, YOU EXPLORE DIVIDUAL SPERATN, THE HOPELS TRAGEDY OF A MAN NONTED WH SOLU AND ACCEPTG A FATE THAT DRIV HIM TO SELF-STCTN. IN THIS LI THE MEANG BEHD THE ENTIRE BODY OF YOUR WORK; UNRSTANDG THE LLECTIVE THROUGH THE DIVIDUAL.GVANNI’S ROOM NEVERTHELS UNLEASHED SOME VERY NEGATIVE REACTNS THE BLACK AMERIN MUNY. THE BLACK PANTHER ACTIVIST ELDRIDGE CLEAVER DO NOT MCE HIS WORDS AND REJECTS PASSG YOUR ENTIRE BODY OF WORK: “THERE IS THE WORK OF JAM BALDW THE MOST AGONIZG, PLETE HATRED FOR BLACKS, PARTICULAR FOR HIMSELF, AND THE MOST SHAMEFUL, ARNT AND SERVILE ATTRACTN TO WH THAN N BE FOUND THE WORK OF ANY OTHER BLACK AMERIN WRER OF OUR DAY.”IS THIS TO SAY THAT THE NOVEL IS AF TO THE CRI OF THE OPPRSED, IMPERV TO THE POWER OF PROTT? IN A FEW L—NO DOUBT QUICKLY FOTTEN BY YOUR OPPONENTS— YOU GIVE A READG OF HISTORY DISTANCED OM THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATNS, WH ALL OF THE PA, BTERNS, HUIATN AND RAPE ENTAILS. AT BASE IS A CRY FOR RENCILIATN, FOR FIVENS AND FOR REMPTN THAT WE HEAR THE CHARACTER DAVID’S NFSN ON THE FIRST PAGE: “MY FACE IS LIKE A FACE YOU HAVE SEEN MANY TIM. MY ANCTORS NQUERED A NTENT, PHG ACROSS ATH-LAN PLAS, UNTIL THEY ME TO AN OCEAN WHICH FACED AWAY OM EUROPE TO A DARKER PAST.”COPYRIGHT © 2014 BY ALA MABANCKOU OM LETTER TO JIMMY (TRANSLATED BY SARA MELI ANSARI). REPRTED BY PERMISSN OF SOFT SKULL PRS, AN IMPRT OF COUNTERPOT.ALA MABANCKOU WAS BORN CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE 1966. HE IS THE THOR OF BROKEN GLASS, MEMOIRS OF A PORCUPE, AND AIN PSYCHO, AMONG OTHERS. HE CURRENTLY DIVIS HIS TIME BETWEEN PARIS AND CALIFORNIA, WHERE HE TEACH FRENCH LERATURE AT UCLA. ALA MABANCKOU
WHY BEG “GAY THE ’70S NEW YORK AND L.A. WAS MAGIC” — AND HOW HOLLYWOOD HAS CHANGED (GUT COLUMN)
What was like to be gay the 1950s (North Ameri)? How were Gay people treated the Uned Stat durg 1950s to the 1960s?
The ernment attacked many ernment workers for beg Gay. In addn beg Gay was even on the same level of beg lled a munist. Could someone expla more tail on why beg Gay is a big problem durg the Uned Stat at that time?
LIVG BLACK & GAY THE ’50SVISNARYIN THE CENTENARY YEAR OF HIS BIRTH, THOR JAM BALDW HAS ONLY GAED STATURE FOR THE WISDOM WH WHICH HE WROTE ABOUT BEG BLACK AND GAY WHEN WASN’T EASY BEG EHER.ALA MABANCKOUUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 1:21PM EDT / PUBLISHED DEC. 03, 2014 5:45AM EST ULF ANRSEN/GETTY IMAGYOU BSHED OFF LABELS LIKE “NEGRO,” “GHETTO BOY,” “BASTARD,” AND, MORE THAN ANYTHG, “FAGGOT.”IF JAM CAMPBELL, HIS BGRAPHY OF YOU, FIGHTS AGAST THE LATTER LABEL PARTICULAR—AN EASY SULT FOR MOST OF YOUR ADVERSARI— IS BEE HE IS AWARE THAT YOUR HOMOSEXUALY FOR YOU IS THE EXPRSN OF YOUR EEDOM, A WAY OF BEG YOURSELF, AND NOT THE EXPRSN OF SOME VIATN OR, HIS TERMS, OF SOME “GEIC AMBIVALENCE,” FNS THAT DISTORT THE UNRSTANDG OF ANY DIVIDUAL.IN YOUR DAY, THE NTRADICTN WAS OBV: ON THE ONE HAND, YOUR UNTRY HELD UP DIVIDUAL EEDOM TO THE LEVEL OF A MOCRATIC IAL, BUT, ON THE OTHER, SANCTNED RACIAL SEGREGATN. CONSEQUENTLY, AS DWIGHT A. MCBRI ATTTS, THE IOLOGIL NONTATN BETWEEN PALIST AND MUNIST FACTNS WOULD ALTER THE DISURSE ON SEX, RACE, AND THE AIN-AMERIN MUNY. YOU WOULD HAVE A VOICE THIS DISURSE … IN FACT, AFTER WELG YOUR ARTICLE “EVERYBODY’S PROTT NOVEL” TO S FIRST EDN, THE JOURNAL ZERO PUBLISHED ANOTHER OF YOUR ARTICL THE FOLLOWG ISSUE, ENTLED “PRERVATN OF INNOCENCE.” IT IS A BRIEF TEXT WH PHILOSOPHIL LEANGS THAT REVOLV AROUND THE NOTNS OF NORMALY AND ABNORMALY HUMAN NATURE. THE SAGA OF THE HOMOSEXUAL, ACRDG TO YOUR ANALYSIS, IS THAT HE MT ALWAYS NONT THE MOST PROFOUND GRIEF: THAT HE IS ABNORMAL BEE HE HAS OPTED TO TURN HIMSELF AWAY OM HIS ORIGAL FUNCTN, THAT OF A PROCREATOR, FOR A RELATNSHIP BOUND TO STERILY. SCE HOMOSEXUALY IS AS OLD AS THE HUMAN RACE, THE MOST SUABLE ATTU WOULD BE TO NSIR AS A MATERIAL PONENT OF NORMALY. SEX, WH S MYTHS, NONTS WH THE PLEXY OF OUR BEHAVRS AND OUR BELIEFS. YOU REMD THAT MEN AND WOMEN HAVE IMPERFECTN MON, AND ARE DIVISIBLE. BEE OF THIS, TAMPERG WH THE NATURE OF ONE HAS AN IMPACT ON THE NATURE OF THE OTHER. THEIR ABSOLUTE SEPARATN—MAN HAVG TO FORT HIMSELF HIS MASCULY, AND WOMAN ASSURG HER OWN FUNCTN AS A WOMAN—WOULD STROY EACH OF THEIR SOULS. ALTHOUGH IS OFTEN REPEATED THAT WOMEN ARE MORE GENTLE, LEGENDS SUATE THAT THEY MAY BE “MYTHILLY AND EVEN HISTORILLY, TREACHERO.” NOVELS, POETRY, THEATER, AND FABL HAVE SOMETIM ENTERTAED THIS PARADOX, WHICH ONLY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE IS PABLE OF FIRST CLARIFYG, THEN BLOCKG YOU YOUR TRACKS. “THIS IS A PARADOX WHICH EXPERIENCE ALONE IS ABLE TO ILLUMATE AND THIS EXPERIENCE IS NOT MUNIBLE ANY LANGUAGE THAT WE KNOW. THE REGNN OF THIS PLEXY IS THE SIGNAL OF MATURY; MARKS THE ATH OF THE CHILD AND THE BIRTH OF THE MAN.” “PRERVATN OF INNOCENCE” REMAS THE VERY FIRST TEXT WHICH YOU SPEAK EXPLICLY ABOUT HOMOSEXUALY, BEFORE NTUG TO EXPLORE THIS THEME YOUR FOLLOWG WORKS, MOST NOTABLY YOUR SEND NOVEL, GVANNI’S ROOM.IN JANUARY 1985, TWO YEARS BEFORE YOUR ATH, YOU PUBLISH ANOTHER ARTICLE, “FREAKS AND THE AMERIN IAL OF MANHOOD,” THE FAMO EROTIC AMERIN MAGAZE, PLAYBOY, FOUND 1953 BY HUGH HEFNER. THIS MONTHLY PERDIL WEL WRERS OM TIME TO TIME; THE WORLD’S LEADG WRERS HAVE PUBLISHED HERE, CLUDG VLADIMIR NABOKOV, IAN FLEMG, AND MARGARET ATWOOD.IN “FREAKS AND THE AMERIN IAL OF MANHOOD,” YOU EXAME THE NOTN OF MASCULY BY DRAWG ON A MULTU OF TOBGRAPHIL ELEMENTS. YOU LOOK AT YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE AS A HOMOSEXUAL AND TRY TO UNRSTAND THE MALIC GAZE OF THE OTHER, PARTICULAR THE AMERIN HETEROSEXUAL MALE.STARTG WH THE IA OF ANDROGYNY, YOU ARGUE THAT THERE IS A WOMAN EVERY MAN, AND VICE VERSA. AS A NSEQUENCE, “… LOVE BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN, OR LOVE BETWEEN ANY TWO HUMAN BEGS, WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE DID WE NOT HAVE AVAILABLE TO THE SPIRUAL ROURC OF BOTH SEX.” HOWEVER THE AMERIN SEXUAL IAL IS TIMATELY RELATED TO A CERTA IA OF MASCULY. IT IS THIS IAL THAT CREAT, AMONG OTHER THGS, “… WBOYS AND INDIANS, GOOD GUYS AND BAD GUYS, PUNKS AND STUDS, TOUGH GUYS AND SOFTI, BUTCH AND FAGGOT, BLACK AND WHE.” THE YOUNG, AMERIN MAN WILL THEREFORE VELOP WH THIS IMAGARY PLEX…YOUR FIRST HOMOSEXUAL EXPERIENC—EVEN IF THEY ARE THEN LIMED TO A FEW ENUNTERS—TAKE PLACE THE BARS OF GREENWICH VILLAGE. NEW YORK CY AT THE TIME, ACRDG TO MCBRI, ATTRACTS MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE EXPLORG AND EXPRSG THEIR SEXUAL DIFFERENCE. IN GREENWICH VILLAGE, YOU AND SEVERAL OTHER “FAGGOTS” ENDURE THE JIB OF THE “MORAL POLICE”: “THERE WERE ONLY ABOUT THREE OF , IF I REMEMBER RRECTLY, WHEN I FIRST H THOSE STREETS, AND I WAS THE YOUNGT, THE MOST VISIBLE, AND THE MOST VULNERABLE.”AT THE AGE OF SIXTEEN THE BAD GUYS CHASE YOU, OFTEN UNR THE AMED AND PLIC WATCH OF POLICEMEN. THIS MAK YOU SAY THAT WAS NOT THE POLICE YOU FEARED, BUT RATHER THE GUYS WHO CID THAT YOU TARNISHED THE RPECTABILY OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.SEEK SHELTER? WHERE? IN A MOVIE THEATER? THERE YOU HAD TO FEAR THE WANRG HAND OF AN OLR MAN, OR ANOTHER MAN WHO, STANDG ONT OF A DISPLAY OF PORNOGRAPHIC MAGAZ, LOOKS AT YOU WH EY THAT SAY EVERYTHG: “THERE WERE ALL KDS OF MEN, MOSTLY YOUNG AND, THOSE DAYS, ALMOST EXCLIVELY WHE.” RICHARD WRIGHT WOULD NEVER SEE EYE TO EYE WH YOU ABOUT YOUR LIFTYLE. HOMOSEXUALY FOR HIM WAS LKED TO PERVERSN. HE DO NOT SHY AWAY OM GENERALIZATNS, SCE HE REMARKS TO ONE OF HIS IENDS, WHEN TALKG ABOUT YOU, “IT’S ALWAYS THE SAME THG WH THE HOMOS” OR, AGA, “SURE HE N WRE, BUT HE’S A FAGGOT.”***THE PUBLITN OF GVANNI’S ROOM 1953 IS QUE AN EVENT. THERE ARE THREE REASONS FOR THIS: THE NOVEL DO NOT TAKE PLACE AMERI, THERE ARE NO BLACK CHARACTERS, AND THE HOMOSEXUALY OF THE HERO IS CLEARLY STATED.FRANCE IS THE BACKDROP FOR GVANNI’S ROOM, NOT WHOUT REASON. THIS SPATIAL DISPLACEMENT REVEALS YOUR THIRST FOR EEDOM, YOUR SIRE FOR OPENNS AND TO BREAK WH THE PROTT NOVEL. YOUR MA CHARACTER BREAKS EE OM THE ARCHETYPE OF THE AIN-AMERIN NOVEL: DAVID IS NOT BLACK. HE REMBL NOTHG OF JOHN GRIM, YOUR “DOUBLE” GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTA, NSIRED AT THE TIME TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST BOOKS ABOUT THE BLACK NDN.DAVID EQUENTS THE HOMOSEXUAL I PARIS WHILE HIS FIANCéE, WHE AND AMERIN, IS TRAVELG SPA. THE NOVEL TAK A UNIQUE LOOK AT THE QUT FOR SEXUAL INTY, THIS WAY BUILDG UPON REFLECTNS MA “THE PRERVATN OF INNOCENCE” AND THAT YOU PURSUE, NEAR THE TWILIGHT OF YOUR LIFE, “FREAKS AND THE AMERIN IAL OF MANHOOD.”ON THE BACK VER OF THE FIRST PAPERBACK EDN WE GET A GLIMPSE OF THE MEDIA BUZZ.THE NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE CELEBRAT “THE STORY OF A YOUNG AMERIN MAN GRAPPLG SIMULTANEOLY WH THE LOVE OF A MAN AND A WOMAN,” BEFORE ADDG THAT “MR. BALDW NAVIGAT THE ISSU WH AN EXCEPTNAL GREE OF NDOR, AND YET, WH SUCH DIGNY AND TENSY THAT HE AVOIDS THE TRAP OF SENSATNALISM.” THE EVENG STANDARD, FOR THEIR PART, IS EVEN MORE WON OVER: “PROBABLY THE BT AND CERTALY THE MOST ANK NOVEL ABOUT HOMOSEXUALY YEARS …”THE STORY IS HEART WRENCHG, AS MUCH FOR THE CHARACTERS’ ANGUISH AS FOR THE BETY OF THE WRG, RENRED LIVELY AND SENSUAL THROUGH S POETIC TENSY AND THE STRENGTH OF S IMAGERY. RATHER THAN MULLG OVER THE LLECTIVE UNRT OVER THE BLACK NDN, YOU EXPLORE DIVIDUAL SPERATN, THE HOPELS TRAGEDY OF A MAN NONTED WH SOLU AND ACCEPTG A FATE THAT DRIV HIM TO SELF-STCTN. IN THIS LI THE MEANG BEHD THE ENTIRE BODY OF YOUR WORK; UNRSTANDG THE LLECTIVE THROUGH THE DIVIDUAL.GVANNI’S ROOM NEVERTHELS UNLEASHED SOME VERY NEGATIVE REACTNS THE BLACK AMERIN MUNY. THE BLACK PANTHER ACTIVIST ELDRIDGE CLEAVER DO NOT MCE HIS WORDS AND REJECTS PASSG YOUR ENTIRE BODY OF WORK: “THERE IS THE WORK OF JAM BALDW THE MOST AGONIZG, PLETE HATRED FOR BLACKS, PARTICULAR FOR HIMSELF, AND THE MOST SHAMEFUL, ARNT AND SERVILE ATTRACTN TO WH THAN N BE FOUND THE WORK OF ANY OTHER BLACK AMERIN WRER OF OUR DAY.”IS THIS TO SAY THAT THE NOVEL IS AF TO THE CRI OF THE OPPRSED, IMPERV TO THE POWER OF PROTT? IN A FEW L—NO DOUBT QUICKLY FOTTEN BY YOUR OPPONENTS— YOU GIVE A READG OF HISTORY DISTANCED OM THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATNS, WH ALL OF THE PA, BTERNS, HUIATN AND RAPE ENTAILS. AT BASE IS A CRY FOR RENCILIATN, FOR FIVENS AND FOR REMPTN THAT WE HEAR THE CHARACTER DAVID’S NFSN ON THE FIRST PAGE: “MY FACE IS LIKE A FACE YOU HAVE SEEN MANY TIM. MY ANCTORS NQUERED A NTENT, PHG ACROSS ATH-LAN PLAS, UNTIL THEY ME TO AN OCEAN WHICH FACED AWAY OM EUROPE TO A DARKER PAST.”COPYRIGHT © 2014 BY ALA MABANCKOU OM LETTER TO JIMMY (TRANSLATED BY SARA MELI ANSARI). REPRTED BY PERMISSN OF SOFT SKULL PRS, AN IMPRT OF COUNTERPOT.ALA MABANCKOU WAS BORN CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE 1966. HE IS THE THOR OF BROKEN GLASS, MEMOIRS OF A PORCUPE, AND AIN PSYCHO, AMONG OTHERS. HE CURRENTLY DIVIS HIS TIME BETWEEN PARIS AND CALIFORNIA, WHERE HE TEACH FRENCH LERATURE AT UCLA. ALA MABANCKOU
Also would like to read more about how Gay's were treated and their movements up to the stone wall rts. "Historians say they were Jt Friends, but they were obvly gay! I noticed today a post exprsg irratn that "historians" engage LGBTQ+ erasure by refg to acknowledge that var historil figur (or characters om historil lerature) were "gay, " etc..
B) The history of sexualy and genr is plited and 's rarely rrect for a historian to simply say: "yup, this person was gay/lbian/trans. What was like to be gay the 1950’s?
If not, then let’s jt say I was hnted by a specific character throughout most of my pre-teen, teenage and adult life) that I absolutely had to get out of my system and on to some paper where someone (specifilly my profsor and all of my classmat) had to listen to this story I had to tell about a gay uple and how they me to be the wake of the 1950s homophobic-hysteria. Of urse, wh a story of a gay uple the 1950s, I’ve had to do my fair share of rearch. And what I’m lookg for are real stori about what was like to be gay or a gay relatnship the 1950s.