Tag Archives: Notes of a Native Son

Ralph Ellison: Survival Blues

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Richard Guzman

During my long career, I’ve been lucky to meet many writers. Somewhere in the mid-70’s, for example, I met Peter Matthiessen shortly after I’d read his great non-fiction book The Snow Leopard and used it in one of my classes.  … Continue reading →

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Stranger in the Village: Style and Rage

Posted on September 3, 2017 by Richard Guzman

I, like many others, believe that James Baldwin’s “Stranger in the Village” is the greatest essay ever written in English.  It’s scope, for one, is titanic.  It moves from a story of one black man’s experiences in a Swiss village … Continue reading →

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Embracing and Fearing the Void: The Root of Racism

Posted on June 21, 2017 by Richard Guzman

James Baldwin once called America a nation “dedicated to the death of the paradox,” a people particularly fond of the straight-forward answer: the Yes-No, the Black-White, the Just-The-Facts, Ma’am, reply.  Which could make reading Baldwin particularly difficult.  As Raoul Peck, … Continue reading →

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