James Baldwin, though controversial in his own time due to his homosexual writings, became a leading black commentator on the suffering and abuse of his people in the United States, which he believed symbolized universal conflicts. ... In 1944, Baldwin met Richard Wright, who championed his early efforts at fictional writing, Wright recommended Baldwin to an editor at Harper & Brothers. It was Wright who first gave voice to Baldwin's experience of racism. ... He felt as though he was "too black" as well as isolated, and all of these insecurities constituted for his leaving Switzerland a...

• Word Count: 2437
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School