James Baldwin (1924-1987) is one of the most important writers of the 20th century. Even during his lifetime, his books "Giovannis Room" and "The Fire Next Time" made him famous and landed him on the cover of "Time Magazine." But he was black and gay, and the society in which he lived was racist and homophobic. This tension gave rise to a unique work that has opened wide the doors through which generations of activists have passed after him. On August 2, 2024, the author, whom some called a prophet, would have turned 100 years old.

René Aguigah, cultural journalist and head of the literature, philosophy and religion department at Deutschlandfunk Kultur, is presenting his multifaceted portrait "James Baldwin - The Witness" on C. H. Beck to mark this anniversary. He will speak about Baldwin's significance with the author and "Zeit" literary journalist Ijoma Mangold. Both have selected important passages from Baldwin's work for this evening. His novel "How long, say I, has the train already left?" (translation: Miriam Mandelkow and Bettina Abarbanell) and the chronicle of the 1960s and 1970s "No name remains far and wide for him" (translation: Miriam Mandelkow, with a foreword by Ijoma Mangold) are currently being published in German by dtv.

Moderation: Maike Albath