The following post is by Callie Beattie, Librarian-In-Residence in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division.
Born in Harlem on August 2nd, 1924, novelist and essayist James Baldwin (1924 – 1987) is regarded as one of America’s greatest writers. Through distinct and often rhythmic prose, Baldwin’s work conveys the reality of the Black American experience. Much of his writing offers a pensive, and aptly critical view of society and the human condition, and it offers his readers themes of race, sexuality, and identity. In the “Autobiographical Note” in Notes of a Native Son, he shares the following manifesto for his life’s work:
“I love America more than any other country in the world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually. I think all theories are suspect, that the finest principles may have to be modified, or may even be pulverized by the demands of life, and that one must find, therefore, one’s own moral center and move through the world hoping that this center will guide one alright. I consider that I have many responsibilities, but none greater than this: to last, as Hemingway says, and get my work done. I want to be an honest man and a good writer.”
Over the course of his thirty-eight year career, Baldwin wrote six novels, seven collections of essays, one collection of short stories, two plays and one screenplay. Multiple collections in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division contain copies of his published books, such as Ralph Ellison’s personal copy of Baldwin’s Notes of a Native Son in the Ralph Ellison Collection, and a first edition of Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time in the Aramont Library.
While much has been written about the importance of Baldwin’s canonical works, less attention has been given to one of his final publishing projects, Gypsy and Other Poems. At the time of his death on December 1st, 1987, Baldwin was working with sculptor and printmaker Leonard Baskin (1922–2000) of the Gehenna Press to publish a fine press edition of an unpublished work. Gypsy and Other Poems features six of Baldwin’s poems that reveal an intimate, introspective side of the writer. The book opens with “Gypsy,“ a mysterious and tense verse-narrative, but then moves into five softer, self-reflective poems. Each of these poems is titled for, or dedicated to, specific people in Baldwin’s life, including his youngest brother, David.
Founded by Baskin in 1942, the Gehenna Press was one of America’s first fine art presses. Baldwin and Baskin became friends and collaborators after Baldwin expressed appreciation for the woodcuts in Baskin’s edition of William Shakespeare’s play Othello.
While the original plan for the accompanying visual elements in Gypsy and Other Poems is unknown, after Baldwin’s untimely death in 1987, Baskin chose to memorialize the author in a series of six copper engraved portraits. Each of the 325 copies of this fine press edition includes at least one of the portraits, though some copies include a portfolio of all six portraits. The Rare Book and Special Collections Division holds three copies: copy 17, copy 257, and copy 315.
Copy 257 and copy 17 (shown below) each contain a single print of meticulously etched, gestural lines set against cerulean blue paper revealing a portrait of Baldwin as he gazes towards something just out of frame.
Copy 315 in the Aramont Library is one of the specially bound editions, and it contains all six portraits—two that are printed on crisp white paper, one on a ruby red paper, another on a mustard yellow paper and two on shades of blue. Each etching captures a distinct view of Baldwin as he exudes a range of emotions across several decades, from his early adulthood to middle age.
Though little is known about the friendship between these two artists, it is easy to imagine where they may have found common ground. James Baldwin is remembered for his steadfast dedication to the fight for racial and social equality. Similarly, Leonard Baskin produced several works expressing his social and political views—most notably his series of books called the “Gehenna Tracts,” which feature rare radical writings by women’s rights advocates and abolitionists.
As a printmaker, Baskin was known for his unique and intricate engravings, which often utilized sporadic, expressive linework to illustrate darkly distorted depictions of classic literature and historical figures. The portraits of Baldwin, though still rendered in Baskin’s trademark style, are markedly less heavy-handed and perhaps friendlier than the artist’s other works. In the colophon of Gypsy and Other Poems Baskin reflects on the loss of Baldwin and the nature of their collaboration:
“As a consequence of his great interest and admiration for the work of the Gehenna Press, James Baldwin generously made available to the press a selection of his unpublished verse. Baldwin’s interest in this book was intense and remained unabated, his grievous and untimely death occurred while this book was being planned…the press proffers this book as its memorializing contribution to the premature death of this great American writer.”
August 2nd, 2024 marked the centennial of Baldwin’s birth, and the number of memorializing contributions to Baldwin being offered from institutions all over the world leave no question that the author exceeded what he considered to be his greatest responsibility—becoming an honest man and great writer.
Sources:
Baldwin, James, 1924-1987. Notes of a Native son. Boston, Beacon Press [1955].
Baldwin, James, 1924-1987, author. Gypsy and Other Poems. [Leeds, Mass.] : The Gehenna Press, MCMLXXXIX [1989].
Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Othello. Illustrated by Leonard Baskin. [Northampton, Mass. : Gehenna Press], 1973.
Further reading:
Brandeis University. Special Collection Highlight: Leonard Baskin and the Gehenna Press. Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections.
Leeming, David Adams, 1937-. James Baldwin: A Biography. New York : Knopf, 1994.
Library of Congress. “James Baldwin in San Francisco.” Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. Courtesy Thirteen Productions LLC, WNET.
Library of Congress. Today in History. “August 2, James Baldwin.”
National Museum of African American History and Culture. Chez Baldwin: An Exploration of James Baldwin’s Life and Works Through the Powerful Lens of His House “Chez Baldwin” in St. Paul de Vence, France. Digital exhibit.
National Museum of African American History and Culture. Chez Baldwin: A Bibliography. Digital exhibit.
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