Questions About James Baldwin: The Last Interview and Other Conversations

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If Baldwin were still alive, would his books be less, more or as relevant as they were when he wrote them?

Lance Baldwin's ideas, rooted in universalism overcoming tribalism, are timeless, so he remains relevant today. He's also present: Ta-Nehisi Coates cites hi…moreBaldwin's ideas, rooted in universalism overcoming tribalism, are timeless, so he remains relevant today. He's also present: Ta-Nehisi Coates cites him in "Between the World and Me," which owes much to Baldwin's perspectives. And the deserving praise garnered by Raoul Peck's new film featuring Baldwin, "I Am Not Your Negro," reflects the fact that Baldwin's social and cultural critiques have a great deal to add to debates we face today.

But perhaps this is the biggest reason why Baldwin remains relevant: He always focused on the present, so his writing has great urgency, and he did so through the lens of timeless notions of truth, connection, and fairness. As a result, an argument like this feels as if it were written—and needed—today, rather than decades ago: "There is never time in the future in which we will work out our salvation. The challenge is in the moment; the time is always now."(less)

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