I’ve always believed that one can never truly appreciate a book unless one understands the writer’s story. For example, we can never really appreciate Hemingway’s work unless we know something of his adventurous lifestyle, chronic alcoholism, sporadic depression, complex love life, military interests, and his beloved Finca Vigía. As well, much of Zora Neale Hurston’s personal life (and struggles), her Eatonville influences, as well as her connection to mentors Franz Boaz and Charlotte Osgood Mason deeply influenced her writing. Likewise, Baldwin’s childhood experiences (as well as his open homosexuality) certainly shaped and molded the caustic writer’s brilliant essays on race, class, society, and culture. A writer’s personal story is just as important as their written story.….(more)
