James Baldwin
James Baldwin established his reputation with his first novel, Go Tell It On The Mountain (1953), an autobiographical tale of growing up in Harlem. He became one of the leading African-American authors of his generation, known for novels and essays that tackled black-white and hetero-homosexual relationships. He was particularly a noted essayist during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Baldwin turned to writing after being encouraged by Richard Wright, and, like Wright, left the U.S. after World War II and moved to France. His novels, including Giovanni's Room (1956), Another Country (1962) and Just Above My Head (1979), all deal with the struggle for individuality against intolerance. He also wrote several plays, including Blues For Mister Charlie (1964), and Evidence of Things Not Seen (1986), a book about racially-motivated child murders in Atlanta.

James Baldwin appears with his contemporaries John Coltrane and Rosa Parks in our loop on Black History.

Marian Anderson

Marian Anderson was 42 when she sang her legendary open-air concert at the Lincoln Memorial on 9 April 1939. Anderson was a famous contralto of the day, and the concert was arranged after the ... more

Pat Summitt

Name at birth: Patricia Sue HeadPat Summitt is the head coach of the women's basketball team at the University of Tennessee and the winningest basketball coach, man or woman, in NCAA ... more

W. H. Auden

W. H. Auden was a young, sensational English poet of the 1930s who became an elder statesman of Anglo-American literature by the time he died in 1973. He ... more

Tobias Wolff

Tobias Wolff is best known as the author of This Boy's Life (1989), a funny-sad memoir of growing up with an itinerant mother and abusive step-father. Born in Alabama, Wolff grew up mostly in ... more

Judd Apatow