The FBI’s James Baldwin Obsession

Writing for Publishers Weekly, William J. Maxwell examines the 1,884-page FBI file on James Baldwin—the longest on record—as part of his effort to obtain surveillance information on African American authors through the Freedom of Information Act. Along with reports on literary giants like Lorraine Hansberry and Amiri Baraka, Baldwin’s file reveals a complex relationship between Hoover’s office and the authors, characterized by intermittent respect for the literary work and a healthy fear of the writers’ standing as leaders of the black community. In monitoring the authors and assessing the perceived threat as their influence grew, Maxwell notes that “the Bureau’s extensive files on African American authors are, among other things, weird but unmistakable works of literary criticism.”