On the Road with Penguin Classics Giovanni’s Room with Caryl Phillips
Jan 25, 2024
In a captivating exploration, novelist Caryl Phillips shares insights about his experiences with James Baldwin, particularly in relation to Baldwin's poignant love story, *Giovanni’s Room*. Phillips delves into the complexities of identity and love against the backdrop of 1950s Paris. He reflects on Baldwin's artistic evolution and the emotional turmoil experienced by the characters, especially David and Giovanni. Their struggles for self-acceptance and the societal perceptions surrounding them come to life as Phillips paints a vibrant picture of Baldwin's world in the City of Light.
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Meeting Baldwin As An Aspiring Writer
- Caryl Phillips met James Baldwin in France when he was a young aspiring writer and felt both excited and terrified.
- Baldwin put him at ease and his prose had a biblical, preaching cadence that overwhelmed Phillips.
Baldwin's Preacherly Prose
- Phillips highlights Baldwin's prose as both melodic and biblically patterned, rooted in his preacher background.
- That preaching cadence seduces and instructs readers simultaneously.
Arriving In Paris With Little Money
- Baldwin arrived in Paris with about $40 and was welcomed into the Saint-Germain expatriate community by Richard Wright and Jean-Paul Sartre.
- Wright had helped Baldwin get a fellowship and find a room, guiding his early Paris life.