James Baldwin┬а(1924тАУ1987) was a novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic. His first novel,┬аGo Tell It on the Mountain,┬аappeared in 1953 to excellent reviews, and his essay collections┬аNotes of a Native Son┬аand┬аThe Fire Next Time┬аwere bestsellers that made him an influential figure in the growing civil rights movement. Baldwin spent much of his life in France, where he moved to escape the racism and homophobia of the United States. He died in France in 1987, a year after being made a Commander of the French Legion of Honor.