James Baldwin's Cities

James Baldwin has been seen as a prophet, as a suspect, as the greatest American essayist in history. He was also a sharp examiner of the urban environment. He captured the rhythms of city life, the character and habits and various circumstances of their inhabitants, as well as he captured the broader character of cultures, populations, and institutions. His descriptions of Paris, where he lived and wrote for many years, range from the comfort of cafes to the institutional violence and absurd bureaucracy of a Parisian jail.

He’d gone to Paris seeking freedom from American racism, and the removal he found there, the foreignness, allowed him to turn a clear eye to the streets of his own country. Now, on what would be his 92 birthday, his insights on city life are as incisive as ever.