James Baldwin
![Baldwin in 1969](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/James_Baldwin_37_Allan_Warren_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Baldwin's fiction posed fundamental personal questions and dilemmas amid complex social and psychological pressures. Themes of masculinity, sexuality, race, and class intertwine to create intricate narratives that run parallel with some of the major political movements toward social change in mid-twentieth century America, such as the civil rights movement and the gay liberation movement. Baldwin's protagonists are typically but not exclusively African American, with gay and bisexual men featured prominently in his work. His characters often face internal and external obstacles in their search for self- and social acceptance: dynamics prominent in his 1956 novel ''Giovanni's Room''.
Baldwin's work continues to influence artists and writers. His unfinished manuscript ''Remember This House'' was expanded and adapted as the 2016 documentary film ''I Am Not Your Negro'', winning the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary. His 1974 novel ''If Beale Street Could Talk'' was adapted into a 2018 film of the same name, which earned widespread praise. Provided by Wikipedia