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James Baldwin's eminence as a man of letters is now well established; indeed, his books, essays, and numerous other pieces attest to the truth of Benjamin DeMott's statement that "this author retains a place in an extremely select group: that comprised of the few genuinely indispensable American writers." As novelist, essayist, dramatist, and social critic, Baldwin's writings demonstrate not only a sustained productivity but also a consistent and sensitive human perspective. At times alternately praised and damned by blacks and whites alike, he has never lacked an audience. While the rationale for this public interest in his work obviously consists of multiple factors, the principal points would surely include his prophetic tone, moral concern, existential analysis, perceptive relevance, intense language, and poignant sincerity.
From the age of twelve, when he published a short story on the Spanish Revolution in a church newspaper, and a short time later, when he received a letter of congratulations from New York Mayor La Guardia for one of his poems, Baldwin has nurtured a passionate devotion to writing: "I consider that I have many responsibilities but none greater than this: to last, as Hemingway says, and get my work done.
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