Description
An unlikely literary friendship from the past sheds light on the radicalization of public debate around identity, race, and censorship.
In 1961, James Baldwin spent several months in William Styron’s guest house. They wrote during the day, then spent long evenings confiding in each other and talking about race and identity in America. During one of those memorable evenings, Baldwin is said to have convinced Styron to write, in the first person, the story of the 1831 slave rebellion led by Nat Turner near Styron’s own Southern birthplace. Styron followed his friend’s advice, and The Confessions of Nat Turner was published to critical acclaim, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1968—also creating outrage in part of the African American community.
More than sixty years later, the debates and controversy around cultural appropriation, identity, and the rights and responsibilities of the writer still resonate. In Baldwin, Styron, and Me, Mélikah Abdelmoumen considers Baldwin and Styron’s surprising yet vital friendship from her standpoint as a racialized woman, born in Canada to a Tunisian father and Québécois mother, and torn by the often unidimensional versions of her own identity put forth by today’s politics, media, and society. Considering questions of identity, race, equity, and censorship, and, especially, the means by which public debate around these topics is increasingly radicalized, Abdelmoumen works to create a space where the answers are found by first learning how to listen—even in disagreement.
Praise for Baldwin, Styron, and Me
“In this insightful memoir, the first of her books to appear in English, Abdelmoumen reflects on race, ethnicity, cultural appropriation, and her own multiple identities . . . A thoughtful, timely contribution to a controversial debate.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Mélikah Abdelmoumen has painted an intimate and compelling portrait of what it means to live on the frontier between opposing communities. She has also birthed a personal and courageous meditation on the unexpected and striking friendship between two great American writers. In this polarized world, Baldwin, Styron and Me stands out as a polished gem. It reminds us to meet and befriend our neighbours—all of them!”
—Lawrence Hill, author of The Book of Negroes
“What a joy it was to get to know Mélikah and her family through this book. It felt like visiting old friends. Through a personal lens Mélikah also reintroduces an old acquaintance in Baldwin, who I love and admire as deeply as her, and a less familiar character in Styron. In exploring this relationship between two writers, so different yet sharing the experience of writing, she reveals a new way to understand both this moment and our own relations. Intellectually engrossing and tenderly written this book is a balm for this time and a welcome visit with new and old relations.”
—Jesse Wente, author of Unreconciled: Family, Truth, and Indigenous Resistance
“A truly relevant essay from one of the greatest Quebec thinkers of our time, who reflects on both the question of cultural appropriation and artistic freedom with great singularity and refreshing freedom.”
—Radio-Canada
“In this rich and fascinating essay, Mélikah Abdelmoumen criticizes aggressive radicalism, advocating instead dialogue and empathy. With the help of Baldwin and Styron, the author allows us to see that dialogue is not only possible, but necessary.”
—La Gazette de la Mauricie
