Giovanni's Room (Black Swan S.) (Penguin Great Loves)

by James Baldwin

Caryl Phillips (Introduction)

One of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World'

Baldwin's ground-breaking second novel, which established him as one of the great American writers of his time

David, a young American in 1950s Paris, is waiting for his fiancée to return from vacation in Spain. But when he meets Giovanni, a handsome Italian barman, the two men are drawn into an intense affair. After three months David's fiancée returns and, denying his true nature, he rejects Giovanni for a 'safe' future as a married man. His decision eventually brings tragedy.

Filled with passion, regret and longing, this story of a fated love triangle has become a landmark of gay writing. James Baldwin caused outrage as a black author writing about white homosexuals, yet for him the issues of race, sexuality and personal freedom were eternally intertwined.

'Exquisite... a feat of fire-breathing, imaginative daring' Guardian

'Excruciating beauty' San Francisco Chronicle

'Audacious... remarkable... elegant and courageous' Caryl Phillips

• ISBN10: 0141186356
• ISBN13: 9780141186351
• Publish Date: 4 October 2001 (first published January 1969)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
• Imprint: Penguin Classics
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 176
• Language: English

Reviews

[winterlily]

i don't totally know what to think about this one??
gorgeous writing, really vivid and engaging and definitely makes me want to read more of james baldwin's work sooner rather than later. but quite a heavy dose of misogyny and one extremely transmisogynistic scene that was just not great. a very engaging and interesting novel as a whole though

[journalingirl]

Why I read it?:

It was the first book for Perverts in Groups, my LGBT studies course.

What I though about it?:

Wow. This book was fantastic. Set in the 1950s, an American ex-patriate is living in France, looking back on his life in Paris with Giovanni, his gay lover who is about to die. (I promise, that is not a spoiler. Baldwin says this within the first ten pages.) The book is incredibly poignant and gives a clear idea of the self-hatred and fear homosexual men internalized. In David, the protagonist, readers can clearly see the effect the American mindset has on gay men, even when they are in a place like Paris, which has a much more open, accepting culture of homosexuality. I give Giovanni my hearty recommendation for anyone who is interested in understanding more about the history of LGBT culture (but please keep in mind that this is fiction). If you are looking for a heartwarming story about gay love, I would recommend you look elsewhere.