) With a high school diploma under his belt James Baldwin moved to New Jersey and began working as a railroad hand. After two years in New Jersey, Baldwin moved to Greenwich Village. There, he first met Richard Wright (an African-American author whose strong protests against racial prejudice made him one of his generation's most important spokespersons) and began his first novel, In My Father's House. It was not until four years later that James Baldwin began to receive recognition, such as awards and fellowships, for his writings. It was at this time that Baldwin published his first essay, "The Harlem Ghetto". He had become disgusted with race relations in the United States and so decided to move to France. The Harlem Ghetto's echo, The Fire Next Time (1963) was another grueling and spiteful account of racism in the United States. Baldwin would end up making France his home for over ten years. James Baldwin's time in France was very important for his writing career and his personal life. He would write all day and party all night. Baldwin had several relationships while in France. While many people in the United States frowned upon both homosexuality and interracial dating, Baldwin found social freedom and privacy while in Europe. He also wrote three important works while in France. In 1953 he finished the partially autobiographical account of his youth, Go Tell It on the Mountain. He also won the Guggenheim Fellowship for his play, The Amen Corner (1954). During his seventh year in France, Baldwin won several fellowships for his novel, Giovanni's Room (1955). Giovanni's Room was a partially autobiographical story of his homosexuality. Giovanni's Room told of a white American expatriate and his coming to terms with his homosexuality. Many found it interesting that Baldwin chose a white person to portray himself. It was in 1960 that Baldwin returned to the United States. Upon his return to the United States, Baldwin became very active in support of the civil rights movement.
