Phillips' reflections on the influence Baldwin had on his work and on their friendship:

"It is curiously appropriate that it should be James Baldwin who should introduce me to grief. I learned from him much about courage, generosity, purposefulness, and writing. But it is as a man who opened up a new door in my life, who expanded my emotional vocabulary that I will now, at this late stage, remember him best. Suddenly my life has become both more or less important...I knew Jimmy in America, in England, and most importantly in St Paul de Vence where he died. In all of these places he was warmly loved by both acquaintances and strangers alike. For a young writer in search of a literary community Baldwin could not have been a finer ally.”