54 pages • 1 hour read •
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Giovanni’s Room, originally published in 1956 and now regarded as a classic, is a romantic tragedy written by author and activist James Baldwin. The book follows American protagonist David’s life and relationships in France during the 1950s. David tries to come to terms with his sexuality after falling in love with Giovanni, an Italian barman, but he also seeks the safety of his heterosexual relationship with another American expatriate, Hella. Due to the story’s depiction of diverse sexual orientations, the novel has been banned several times in America since its publication. This guide follows the first edition Vintage International trade paperback, published in 2013.
Plot Summary
The novel opens in the present-day of the 1950s in the South of France where the first-person narrator, David, drinks heavily to dull the pain of his recent losses. His fiancée, Hella, broke off their engagement to return to America, and his lover, Giovanni, is set to be executed in the morning for murdering his employer, Guillaume. From this frame narrative, David looks back at his youth in America and his recent years in France.
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By James Baldwin
American Literature
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