Conversations with Amiri Baraka

by Charlie Reilly (Editor), Amiri Baraka

This collection of interviews with Amiri Baraka, the former LeRoi Jones and a key figure in the worldwide black liberation movement, provides extraordinary insight not only into African American literature but also into the turmoil and passions of the “black experience” during the second half of the twentieth century.

As they offer an understanding of the political turbulence of his times, these interviews provide special insights into Baraka's works, his anger, and his career. Not only does Baraka criticize and explain his most celebrated works, but also his comments supply a rich context for understanding the African American experience.

Throughout these candid conversations Baraka maintains his belief in the firm alliance of art and social criticism. “To me, social commentary and art cannot be divorced. Art and life are the art comes out of life, art is a reflection of life, art is life.”

Here is a collection that contains nearly all of the major interviews this poet, playwright, fiction writer, essayist, and social activist has given in his long and controversial career. Four of them have not been previously published. Included here are interviews conducted by Maya Angelou, Austen Clarke, and David Frost, as well as a new interview Baraka granted the editor of this volume.

Genres: Drama, Nonfiction

292 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Jennifer Collins]

Compiled chronologically, the interviews here offer an evolving glimpse into Amiri Baraka himself, but also into topics ranging from race and race relations in America on to politics, American and global history, and--of course--music, poetry, and drama. Ever smart and thoughtful, Baraka's voice and style make for an enjoyable and sometimes humorous move through time, but it's the thinking and willingness to be in the process of rethinking that stand out here as much as anything. To see a powerful civil rights activist and writer evolve their thought through the course of decades is a special thing, and to learn from that learning and growth is a powerful experience for readers, whether in the midst of conversations on theater, poverty, or politics. I never doubted, coming into this work, that it would be full of learning on writing, poetry, politics, and civil rights, but there's also an undeniable power to the way in which Baraka describes situations as he sees them and offers understanding, even when confronted with less-than-understanding interviewers. To read these interviews decades later is also a bit mind-bending, it has to be admitted, as it feels like Baraka was seeing and predicting how society was working to move in this direction in America. Sadly, I doubt he'd be surprised at where we are today.

I'd absolutely recommend reading this work, and more than that, I'd recommend reading it from cover to cover. Be warned: You'll be amazed at how timely much of the material is timely.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dear friend of mine asked me point blank if Amiri Baraka was "necessary reading." That's a tough question to answer. For the moment, I'll just say he's definitely worthwhile reading. I've enjoyed re-acquainting myself with his plays over the past few years. I'd like to check out his poetry sometime soon, too. As for this career-spanning collection of interviews -- inevitably repetitious, intermittently homophobic -- "Conversations with Amiri Baraka" pays tribute to a formidable creative force who forsook the mainstream for his own moral high ground. A critical darling who snubbed the critical establishment early in his career, Baraka pursued both playwriting and poetry primarily in his hometown of Newark where his artistic output, over the years, reflected an ever-evolving political POV, influenced by black arts, black nationalism, afro-islamism, and marxism, each in its turn. From what I can deduce from my reading thus far, these influences didn't diminish his voice. They expanded his mind in different ways. Baraka recognized that all art is political and came to see himself as a New Jersey correlative for Brecht. The Cause didn't sidetrack this writer; it inspired him.

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of varied interviews through 20 years of Amiri Baraka's career highlights the artist's ability to continually reinvent through personal self-examination. A good road map for any writer who has ever said to themselves- "I wrote that?!"