Notes of a native son: The world according to James Baldwin - Christina Greer

Prevodilac: Ivana Krivokuća Lektor: Tijana Mihajlović

Over the course of the 1960s,

Tokom 1960-ih,

the FBI amassed almost two thousand documents

Ef-Bi-Aj je prikupio skoro dve hiljade dokumenata

in an investigation into one of America’s most celebrated minds.

u okviru istrage jednog od najpoznatijih američkih umova.

The subject of this inquiry was a writer named James Baldwin.

Predmet ove istrage je bio pisac po imenu Džejms Boldvin.

At the time,

U to vreme,

the FBI investigated many artists and thinkers,

Ef-Bi-Aj je sprovodio istragu o mnogim umetnicima i misliocima,

but most of their files were a fraction the size of Baldwin’s.

ali većina njihovih dosijea nije bila ni prineti veličini Boldvinovog.

During the years when the FBI hounded him,

Tih godina kada ga je Ef-Bi-Aj progonio,

he became one of the best-selling black authors in the world.

postao je jedan od najprodavanijih autora crne rase na svetu.

So what made James Baldwin loom so large in the imaginations

Pa, zbog čega je Džejms Boldvin toliko dobio na značaju u mašti

of both the public and the authorities?

kako javnosti, tako i vlasti?

Born in Harlem in 1924,

Rođen je u Harlemu 1924. godine

he was the oldest of nine children.

i bio je najstarije od devetoro dece.

At age fourteen, he began to work as a preacher.

Sa 14 godina počeo je da radi kao propovednik.

By delivering sermons, he developed his voice as a writer,

Držeći propovedi, razvio je svoj spisateljski izraz,

but also grew conflicted about the Church’s stance

ali i sve veće neslaganje sa stavom crkve

on racial inequality and homosexuality.

u vezi sa rasnom nejednakošću i homoseksualnošću.

After high school,

he began writing novels and essays while taking a series of odd jobs.

Nakon srednje škole,

počeo je da piše romane i eseje dok je radio niz čudnih poslova.

But the issues that had driven him away from the Church

Ali pitanja koja su ga odbila od crkve

were still inescapable in his daily life.

bila su neizbežna u njegovom svakodnevnom životu.

Constantly confronted with racism and homophobia,

Stalno se suočavao sa rasizmom i homofobijom,

he was angry and disillusioned, and yearned for a less restricted life.

bio je ljut i razočaran i žudeo je za manje ograničenim životom.

So in 1948, at the age of 24,

Tako se 1948. godine, u 24. godini,

he moved to Paris on a writing fellowship.

preselio u Pariz kao spisatelj stipendista.

From France, he published his first novel,

Iz Francuske je objavio svoj prvi roman

"Go Tell it on the Mountain," in 1953.

„Idi i reci to na gori“ 1953. godine.

Set in Harlem,

Knjiga se odvija u Harlemu, a istražuje crkvu kao izvor represije i nade.

the book explores the Church as a source of both repression and hope.

It was popular with both black and white readers.

Bila je popularna kod crnaca, kao i kod belaca čitalaca.

As he earned acclaim for his fiction,

Dok je sticao priznanje za svoj književni rad,

Baldwin gathered his thoughts on race, class, culture and exile

Boldvin je sakupio svoje misli o rasi, klasi, kulturi i izgnanstvu

in his 1955 extended essay, "Notes of a Native Son."

u svom proširenom eseju „Beleške domorodačkog sina“ iz 1955. godine.

Meanwhile,

U međuvremenu,

the Civil Rights movement was gaining momentum in America.

pokret građanskih prava je hvatao zamah u Americi.

Black Americans were making incremental gains at registering to vote and voting,

Američki crnci su postepeno sticali prava registrovanja da glasaju i glasanja,

but were still denied basic dignities in schools, on buses, in the work force,

ali im je i dalje bilo uskraćeno osnovno poštovanje

u školama, autobusima, na radnom mestu

and in the armed services.

i u vojnoj službi.

Though he lived primarily in France for the rest of his life,

Iako je do kraja života prvenstveno živeo u Francuskoj,

Baldwin was deeply invested in the movement,

Boldvin se snažno zalagao za pokret,

and keenly aware of his country’s unfulfilled promise.

duboko svestan obećanja svoje zemlje koje nije bilo ispunjeno.

He had seen family, friends, and neighbors

Video je kako članovi porodice, prijatelji i komšije

spiral into addiction, incarceration and suicide.

naglo upadaju u bolesti zavisnosti, zatvorske ćelije i samoubistvo.

He believed their fates originated from the constraints

Smatrao je da njihove sudbine proističu iz ograničenja

of a segregated society.

podeljenog društva.

In 1963,

Godine 1963,

he published "The Fire Next Time,"

objavio je „Vatru sledeći put“,

an arresting portrait of racial strife

impresivan portret rasne borbe

in which he held white America accountable,

za koju je smatrao odgovornim belački deo Amerike,

but he also went further,

ali je išao i dalje,

arguing that racism hurt white people too.

tvrdeći da rasizam škodi i belcima.

In his view,

Prema njegovom mišljenju,

everyone was inextricably enmeshed in the same social fabric.

svi su neraskidivo zamršeni u istoj društvenoj strukturi.

He had long believed that:

Dugo je verovao u sledeće:

“People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.”

„Ljudi su zarobljeni u istoriji i istorija je zarobljena u njima.“

Baldwin’s role in the Civil Rights movement

Boldvinova uloga u pokretu za građanska prava

went beyond observing and reporting.

prevazilazila je posmatranje i izveštavanje.

He also traveled through the American South

Takođe je putovao američkim jugom

attending rallies giving lectures of his own.

i prisustvovao skupovima na kojima je držao svoja predavanja.

He debated both white politicians and black activists,

Vodio je debate sa belcima političarima, kao i sa crncima aktivistima,

including Malcolm X,

uključujući Malkolma Iksa,

and served as a liaison between black activists and intellectuals

i služio je kao spona crnih aktivista i intelektualaca

and white establishment leaders like Robert Kennedy.

sa belačkim liderima kao što je Robert Kenedi.

Because of Baldwin’s unique ability

Zbog Boldvinove jedinstvene sposobnosti

to articulate the causes of social turbulence

da formuliše uzroke socijalnih turbulencija

in a way that white audiences were willing to hear,

na način koji je belačka publika bila spremna da čuje,

Kennedy and others tended to see him as an ambassador for black Americans

Kenedi i ostali su ga često smatrali ambasadorom američkih crnaca,

— a label Baldwin rejected.

što je etiketa koju je Boldvin odbacivao.

And at the same time,

Istovremeno,

his faculty with words led the FBI to view him as a threat.

njegovo umeće sa rečima navelo je Ef-Bi-Aj da u njemu vidi pretnju.

Even within the Civil Rights movement,

Čak i u okviru pokreta za građanska prava, Boldvin bi se ponekad osećao kao autsajder

Baldwin could sometimes feel like an outsider

for his choice to live abroad, as well as his sexuality,

zbog svog izbora da živi u inostranstvu, kao i zbog svoje seksualnosti,

which he explored openly in his writing

koju je otvoreno ispitivao u svojim delima

at a time when homophobia ran rampant.

u vreme kada je homofobija bila jako izražena.

Throughout his life,

Kroz ceo svoj život,

Baldwin considered it his role to bear witness.

Boldvin je smatrao da je njegova uloga da bude svedok istine.

Unlike many of his peers,

Za razliku od mnogih vršnjaka,

he lived to see some of the victories of the Civil Rights movement,

doživeo je da vidi neke od pobeda pokreta za građanska prava,

but the continuing racial inequalities in the United States weighed heavily on him.

ali neprekidne rasne nejednakosti u SAD-u znatno su uticale na njega.

Though he may have felt trapped in his moment in history,

Iako se možda osećao zarobljeno u svom trenutku u istoriji,

his words have made generations of people feel known,

u njegovim rečima su se prepoznale generacije ljudi,

while guiding them toward a more nuanced understanding

dok su ih vodile ka suptilnijem razumevanju

of society’s most complex issues.

najsloženijih društvenih pitanja.