To escape racism in America, James Baldwin fled to Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France, in 1970, where he lived in self-imposed exile until his death in 1987. This book focuses on this seventeen-year period of his life and literature. Author Jules B. Farber presents “life with Jimmy” through more than seventy interviews of personal reminisces with well-known literary figures, musicians, artists, and celebrities, such as Sidney Poitier, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Quincy Jones, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Bill Wyman, Harry Belafonte, Jr., George Wein, and many others. Farber also reached out to locals in Saint-Paul-de-Vence who adopted Baldwin into their village.
Baldwin’s oeuvre and lifestyle during this time was concentrated in this Provençal setting. These personal, and sometimes intimate, recollections provide an overview of the diversity of Baldwin’s writing, the details of his social interactions, the magnitude of his literary relevance, and a first-time examination of his integration as the first black man in Saint-Paul-de-Vence.
About the Author
After receiving his bachelor of literary letters in journalism from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, Jules B. Farber worked in public relations before becoming a freelance journalist and communications manager. He has written for various American and foreign publications and has published six books in multiple languages. His interest in James Baldwin arose when he saw a picture of Baldwin in the halls of La Colombe d’Or, while visiting Saint-Paul-de-Vence.
About the Foreword Writer
Jack Lang is a député from the Pas de Calais region at the Assemblée Nationale, a member of the Commission of Foreign Affairs in the National Assembly, and president of the Association for the Development of the Centre Pompidou. In addition to other governmental positions, he is the president of l’Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, France. Lang was a lifelong friend of James Baldwin.
JAMES BALDWIN
Exile in Provence
By Jules B. Farber
Foreword by Jack Lang
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Cultural Heritage
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Literary
320 pp. 6 x 9
Photos Index
ISBN: 9781455620944