Baldwin, who died in 1987, was not only a prolific author of books, essays, plays and poems, but also he corresponded with a number of notables, including Maya Angelou, President Jimmy Carter and Angela Davis, as well as members of his family.
The bulk of the collection of letters acquired by the Schomburg—no price has been disclosed—have never been published. In fact, many of them are being exhibited for the first time at the Schomburg.
Even before the purchase of this passel of handwritten letters, typed drafts, notes on a sundry of projects and incomplete manuscripts similar to what Raoul Peck was given as the blueprint for his documentary “I Am Not Your Negro,” there were letters at the Schomburg. But these letters are few compared with the recent addition, and scholars will have to wait a score of years to gain access to the full collection.
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I Am Not Your Negro is a 2016 American documentary film directed by Raoul Peck, based on James Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript, Remember This House. Narrated by actor Samuel L. Jackson, the film explores the history of racism in the United States through Baldwin’s reminiscences of civil rights leaders Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr, as well as his personal observations of American history. It was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 89th Academy Awards. (Wikipedia).
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