Giovanni's Room
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Summary
One of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World'
Baldwin's ground-breaking second novel, which established him as one of the great American writers of his time
Baldwin's ground-breaking second novel, which established him as one of the great American writers of his time
'Audacious... remarkable... elegant and courageous' Caryl Phillips
'Exquisite, a feat of fire-breathing, imaginative daring' Guardian
David, a young American in 1950s Paris, is waiting for his fiancée to return from vacation in Spain. But when he meets Giovanni, a handsome Italian barman, the two men are drawn into an intense affair. After three months David's fiancée returns and, denying his sexuality, he rejects Giovanni for a 'safe' future as a married man — a decision that will bring tragedy, longing and regret.
'Gorgeous, fearless, tempered by dark knowledge and pain ... the greatest American prose stylist of his generation' Colm Tóibín
'A layered exploration of queer desire ... It is electric' Hilton Als
Reviews
Extraordinarily exact and complex emotional intimacy . . . At the core of the novel lies Baldwin’s recognition that with a denial of suffering and pain as a means of happiness, there can be no feeling, understanding, or real connection in life
Guardian
