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Native Sons

Name: Native Sons
Author: Sol Stein
ISBN: 9780641719066

by Sol Stein, James Baldwin

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Overview

James Baldwin was newly recognized as the most brilliant black writer of his generation when his first book of essays, Notes of a Native Son, firmly established his reputation in 1955. No one was more pleased by the book's reception than Baldwin's high school friend Sol Stein. A rising New York editor, novelist, and playwright, Stein had suggested that Baldwin write the book and coaxed his old friend through the long and sometimes agonizing process of putting the volume together and seeing it into print. Now, in this new book, Sol Stein documents the story of his and Baldwin's intense creative partnership through newly uncovered letters, photos, inscriptions, and an illuminating memoir of the friendship that resulted in one of the classics of American literature. Also included in this book are the two works they created together - the story "Dark Runner" and the play Equal in Paris, both published here for the first time.

About the Author, Sol Stein

For over three decades, Sol Stein edited and published some of the leading writers of the Twentieth century, including James Baldwin, Dylan Thomas, W. H. Auden, and Lionel Trilling. A prize-winning playwright and the author of nine novels, as well as nonfiction books, screenplays, and TV dramas, Stein lives in New York.

Born in 1924, James Baldwin made a name for himself with his first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain in 1953. His legendary Notes of a Native Son appeared two years later, and he went on to publish fiction, poetry, plays, and essays that profoundly influenced the literature of Twentieth-century America. Baldwin died in France in 1987.

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Editorials

From Barnes & Noble

Literary history and human interest converge in this deeply personal account of an intense creative partnership. Novelist James Baldwin and editor Sol Stein first met in 1939 when they were fellow students at a Bronx high school; they remained friends until Baldwin's death in 1987. Baldwin once confided to Stein, "You are the only friend with whom I feel comfortable about all three: heart, head, and writing." Using letters, photographs, and other documents, Native Sons chronicles that deep friendship. Near its core is Stein's participation in Baldwin's Notes of a Native Son, the 1955 book of essays that established his reputation. ( This book includes the full text of the short story "Dark Runner" and the screenplay Equal in Paris, the only joint creations of the longtime friends. Both works are published here for the first time.)

Emily Bernard

Despite this evidence of their cooperation, this is not so much a book about friendship as it is an occasion to consider the labyrinth that friendship can be: the delicate balance between honesty and tact it takes to keep certain kinds of alliances alive; the difficulties of balancing the personal inside the professional and vice versa. Ultimately, Native Sons is about James Baldwin, whose voice, even in this scant and unsatisfying collection, manages to electrify and radiate wisdom, if not to the friend whom he addresses, then to any reader who picks up this book.
— The Washington Post

Library Journal

In this microscopic look at a part of Baldwin's life, devoted friend and editor Stein reveals for the first time (through never-before-published material) the process behind the creation of Baldwin's classic Notes of a Native Son (1955). In addition, he tells the story of their friendship, which the insightful introduction places in the context of its time (the two met in 1939 while attending high school in the Bronx). The first part of the book records their correspondence, annotated by Stein, as Native Son took shape and moved toward publication. The second part consists of the short story "Dark Runner," which was written as a prelude to the television script that became Equal in Paris (reprinted in the appendix). This book will appeal to readers interested in Baldwin's creative process as well as to Baldwin scholars previously unable to obtain access to the letters. General readers would probably benefit from reading a fuller biography before tackling this book. Recommended for academic and larger public library collections.-Ron Ratliff, Kansas State Univ. Lib., Manhattan Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.