If Beale Street Could Talk

Zusatztext "One of the best books Baldwin has ever written–perhaps the best of all." – The Philadelphia Inquirer "A moving, painful story, so vividly human and so obviously based on reality that it strikes us as timeless.”– Joyce Carol Oates ""f Van Gogh was our nineteenth-century artist-saint, James Baldwin is our twentiethth-century one." –Michael Ondaatje "Striking and particularly haunting. . . . A beauty, especially in its rendering of youthful passion." – Cosmopolitan "A major work of Black American fiction...  His best novel yet, even Baldwin's most devoted readers are due to be stunned by it." – The New Republic "Emotional dynamite...  a powerful assault upon the cynicism that seems today to drain our determination to confront deep social problems." – Library Journal "A moving, painful story, so vividly human and so obviously based on reality that it strikes us as timeless." – The New York Times Book Review Informationen zum Autor James Baldwin Klappentext In this honest and stunning novel that inspired the award-winning major motion picture of the same name, James Baldwin has given America a moving story of love in the face of injustice. "A major work of Black American fiction... His best novel yet, even Baldwin's most devoted readers are due to be stunned by it." -The New RepublicTold through the eyes of Tish, a nineteen-year-old girl, in love with Fonny, a young sculptor who is the father of her child, Baldwin's story mixes the sweet and the sad. Tish and Fonny have pledged to get married, but Fonny is falsely accused of a terrible crime and imprisoned. Their families set out to clear his name, and as they face an uncertain future, the young lovers experience a kaleidoscope of emotions-affection, despair, and hope. In a love story that evokes the blues, where passion and sadness are inevitably intertwined, Baldwin has created two characters so alive and profoundly realized that they are unforgettably ingrained in the American psyche. Leseprobe Troubled About My Soul I look at myself in the mirror. I know that I was christened Clementine, and so it would make sense if people called me Clem, or even, come to think of it, Clementine, since that's my name: but they don't. People call me Tish. I guess that makes sense, too. I'm tired, and I'm beginning to think that maybe everything that happens makes sense. Like, if it didn't make sense, how could it happen? But that's really a terrible thought. It can only come out of trouble--trouble that doesn't make sense. Today, I went to see Fonny. That's not his name, either, he was christened Alonzo: and it might make sense if people called him Lonnie. But, no, we've always called him Fonny. Alonzo Hunt, that's his name. I've known him all my life, and I hope I'll always know him. But I only call him Alonzo when I have to break down some real heavy shit to him. Today, I said, "--Alonzo--?" And he looked at me, that quickening look he has when I call him by his name. He's in jail. So where we were, I was sitting on a bench in front of a board, and he was sitting on a bench in front of a board. And we were facing each other through a wall of glass between us. You can't hear anything through this glass, and so you both have a little telephone. You have to talk through that. I don't know why people always look down when they talk through a telephone, but they always do. You have to remember to look up at the person you're talking to. I always remember now, because he's in jail and I love his eyes and every time I see him I'm afraid I'll never see him again. So I pick up the phone as soon as I get there and I just hold it and I keep looking up at him. So, when I said, "--Alonzo--?" he looked down and then he looked up and he smiled and he held the phone and he waited. I hop...

Product details

• Authors: James Baldwin
• Publisher: Vintage USA
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 10.10.2006
• EAN: 9780307275936
• ISBN: 978-0-307-27593-6
• No. of pages: 197
• Dimensions: 132 mm x 204 mm x 15 mm
• Series: Vintage Paperbacks; VINTAGE BOOKS; Vintage International; Vintage International
• Subject: Fiction > Narrative literature