David Leeming, author of “James Baldwin: A Biography,” will speak on “Me and My House: James Baldwin, Prophet of Freedom” Thursday, Dec. 10, at 11:45 a.m. in the Austin Reading Room of Nicholson Library at Linfield College.
Leeming met James Baldwin while teaching at Robert College in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1961. During his graduate school years in New York, Leeming worked as Baldwin’s personal assistant, sorting and filing papers, attending to correspondence, and doing speech research. In 1965 he accompanied Baldwin back to Istanbul where, with Baldwin’s younger brother David, they lived for a year. During that time Baldwin completed “Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone,” a novel which he dedicated to Leeming and his brother, David.
Leeming maintained his friendship with Baldwin during the years that followed. The two exchanged many visits: in Amherst, Mass., where Baldwin often taught in the 1980s; in London, when their paths crossed; in Connecticut, where Leeming lived with his wife and children; and in St. Paul de Vence, France, where Baldwin lived for part of each year. Leeming spent the last days of Baldwin’s life in St. Paul de Vence, where he helped David Baldwin care for his brother.
Leeming’s biography of Baldwin was published in 1994. Later, Leeming served as both an on-camera witness and a scholar/advisor for Karen Thorsen’s award-winning film for PBS/American Masters, “James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket.”
Leeming received his B.A. in English from Princeton University in 1958 and his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature in 1970 from New York University. He wrote “Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney,” a biography of Baldwin’s mentor and close friend. Leeming is also the author of a biography of Stephen Spender and many books including the “Oxford Companion to World Mythology.” His most recent work is “Medusa: In the Mirror of Time.”
Lunch will be available at 11:45 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. Leeming’s talk will begin at noon, followed by a question and answer session. The lecture is free and open to the public and is supported by an Enduring Questions grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Frederick Douglass Forum on Law, Rights, and Justice at Linfield College. For more information, contact Nick Buccola, associate professor of political science, 503-883-2246, nbuccol@linfield.edu.
