Maya Angelou Interviews James Baldwin

1974

In 1974, Maya Angelou interviewed James Baldwin in Los Angeles. Baldwin had been residing in St. Paul de Vence in the South of France for four years, and Angelou was residing in Sonoma, California. They discuss his motivations for moving to France at age 24, his feelings when he returns to the U.S. for visits, and his abiding emotional ties to his family. Some global perspectives, the nature of love, and the meaning of being an artist are briefly shared. They also discuss Baldwin’s goals for writing Go Tell It on the Mountain and Giovanni’s Room. Video transcript