James Baldwin in Switzerland: Life, Works and Legacy

Abstract

This thesis explores the various stays of James Baldwin in Switzerland, and the influence they had on his life in the personal, social and literary spheres. Over the years, critics have extensively tackled Baldwin’s foreign sojourns in France and Turkey, yet an exhaustive and all-encompassing study of his time in Switzerland is still missing. Works such as Go Tell it on the Mountain, “Stranger in the Village” and The Fire Next Time, amongst the most important novels, essays and non-fiction pieces of Baldwin’s entire oeuvre, all found some degree of influence in the Swiss Alps of the Valais. Central to this thesis is the idea that Switzerland has been a place of gestation for Baldwin, which enabled him to mature and evolve at a crucial stage of his life. There he took the final major step in establishing himself as a writer, experienced true love for the first time in his life, and confronted his identity as a young African American. Furthermore, Switzerland provided him with a haven of peace and tranquility whenever he needed to breathe and reconnect with himself, both creatively and physically. This study is conducted on two concurrent levels: a biographical/anthropological level and a literary/cultural one. I consider the motivations that repeatedly drove Baldwin to Switzerland, the places he frequented, the company he kept, but most importantly the pages he wrote during his fragmented stays, and the relevance they maintain within his oeuvre. I take into consideration his personal and professional experiences, analyzing how they intertwine and with what outcome. In the final section of this study, I recount my travels to Switzerland, following in Baldwin’s footsteps and visiting the sites he fleetingly called home between the 1950s and 1960s, with the purpose of identifying the legacy he and his work left behind.