Audiobooks by James Baldwin

[Spanish] - La próxima vez el fuego Audiobook

"Una conmovedora e íntima reflexión sobre la naturaleza de la raza y la nación estadounidense que ha inspirado a generaciones de escritores y pensadores, publicada en 1963, el mismo año de la Marcha sobre Washington. Con claridad, convicción y pasión, James Baldwin lanza una terrible advertencia sobre los efectos del racismo que sigue siendo urgente sesenta años después. En el primero de dos ensayos, Tembló mi celda. Carta a mi sobrino en el centésimo aniversario de la emancipación, Baldwin ofrece consejos amables e inquebrantables sobre lo que significa ser negro en Estados Unidos y explica la retorcida lógica del racismo estadounidense. En A los pies de la cruz. Carta desde una región de mi mente, Baldwin relata su viaje espiritual hacia la Iglesia tras una crisis religiosa a los catorce años, y su vuelta a ella, así como su encuentro con Elijah Muhammad, el líder de la Nación del Islam. A lo largo de todo el libro, Baldwin nos insta a enfrentarnos a las instituciones opresoras de la raza, la religión y la propia nación, e insiste en que la resiliencia compartida entre negros y blancos es la única forma de avanzar. En la misma medida en que es un ajuste de cuentas con el pasado racista de Estados Unidos, La próxima vez el fuego es también un toque de clarín a la atención, el valor y el amor. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The book that galvanized the nation, gave voice to the emerging civil rights movementin the 1960s-and still lights the way to understanding race in America today. • 'The finest essay I've ever read." -Ta-Nehisi Coates At once a powerful evocation of James Baldwin's early life in Harlem and a disturbing examination of the consequences of racial injustice, the book is an intensely personal and provocative document from the iconic author of If Beale Street Could Talk and Go Tell It on the Mountain. It consists of two 'letters,' written on the occasion of the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation, that exhort Americans, both black and white, to attack the terrible legacy of racism. Described by The New York Times Book Review as 'sermon, ultimatum, confession, deposition, testament, and chronicle … all presented in searing, brilliant prose,' The Fire Next Time stands as a classic of literature."

James Baldwin (Author), Jane Santos, Modesto Lacén (Narrator)

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Giovanni's Room

"Brought to you by Penguin. 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. 'Audacious... remarkable... elegant and courageous' Caryl Phillips 'Exquisite, a feat of fire-breathing, imaginative daring' Guardian '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 ©1956 James Baldwin (P)2024 Penguin Audio"

James Baldwin (Author), Kevin Young, Matthew Bomer (Narrator)

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Go Tell it on the Mountain

"Brought to you by Penguin. James Baldwin's electrifying first novel. 'I had to deal with what hurt me most. I had to deal with my father.' Drawing on James Baldwin's own boyhood in a religious community in 1930s Harlem, his first novel tells the story of young Johnny Grimes. Johnny is destined to become a preacher like his father, Gabriel, at the Temple of the Fire Baptized, where the church swells with song and it is as if 'the Holy Ghost were riding on the air'. But he feels only scalding hatred for Gabriel, whose fear and fanaticism lead him to abuse his family. Johnny vows that, for him, things will be different. This blazing tale is full of passion and guilt, of secret sinners and prayers singing on the wind. 'His prose hit me, almost winding me with its intensity. I'd never read a novel that described loneliness and desire with such burning eloquence' Douglas Field, Guardian 'A beautiful, enduring, spirtual song of a novel' Andrew O'Hagan '[Morton] tunes into Baldwin's voice, understands his characters and knows how to bring Go Tell It on the Mountain to life for listeners. This is a timely reminder of why James Baldwin's work remains relevant and, a century after his birth, his voice must still be heard.' Entertainment Focus ©1954 James Baldwin (P)2024 Penguin Audio"

James Baldwin (Author), Joe Morton, Roxane Gay (Narrator)

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No Name in the Street

"Brought to you by Penguin. In this deeply personal book, Baldwin reflects on the experiences that shaped him as a writer and activist: from his childhood in Harlem to the deaths of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Exploring the visceral reality of life in the American South as well as Baldwin’s impressions of London, Paris and Hamburg, No Name in the Street grapples with the failed promises of global liberation movements in fearless, candid prose. Timeless, tender and profound, Baldwin’s searing narrative contains the multiplicities of what it means to be Black in America and, indeed, around the world. ©1972 James Baldwin (P) 2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc."

James Baldwin (Author), Kevin Kenerly (Narrator)

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Old Greek Stories (Unabridged)

"This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. Discover a world of gods and heroes in Old Greek Stories. These captivating tales, brought to life by James Baldwin, will transport you to ancient Greece. From the cunning Prometheus to the heroic Perseus, you'll encounter legendary figures and their extraordinary feats. Immerse yourself in a rich tapestry of myth and legend, where love, courage, and betrayal intertwine. Prepare to be enchanted by these timeless stories that have inspired countless generations."

James Baldwin (Author), Digital Voice Matt G (Narrator)

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The Fire Next Time

"Brought to you by Penguin. 'We, the black and the white, deeply need each other here if we are really to become a nation' James Baldwin's impassioned plea to 'end the racial nightmare' in America was a bestseller when it appeared in 1963, galvanising a nation and giving voice to the emerging civil rights movement. Told in the form of two intensely personal 'letters', The Fire Next Time is at once a powerful evocation of Baldwin's early life in Harlem and an excoriating condemnation of the terrible legacy of racial injustice. 'Jesse L Martin... highlights the rhythmic nature of Baldwin’s prose, and channels his anger and devastation at the unceasing suffering of Black Americans.' (The Guardian) 'A seminal meditation on race by one of our greatest writers.' (Barack Obama) 'Sermon, ultimatum, confession, deposition, testament, and chronicle...all presented in searing, brilliant prose.' (The New York Times Book Review) ©1963 James Baldwin (P)2024 Penguin Audio"

James Baldwin (Author), Jesse L. Martin (Narrator)

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If Beale Street Could Talk

"Brought to you by Penguin. The inspiration for the new film from Oscar award-winning director Barry Jenkins 'Achingly beautiful' Guardian Harlem in the 1970s: the black soul of New York City. Tish is nineteen and the man she loves - her lifelong friend and the father of her unborn child - has been jailed for a crime he did not commit. As their families come together to fight for his freedom, will their love be enough? 'Soulful . . . Racial injustice may flatten 'the black experience' into one single, fearful, constantly undermined way of life - but black life, black love, is so much larger than that . . . It's one of the signature lessons of Baldwin's work that blackness contains multitudes' Vanity Fair 'If Beale Street Could Talk affirms not only love between a man and a woman, but love of a type that is dealt with only rarely in contemporary fiction - that between members of a family' Joyce Carol Oates ©1974 James Baldwin (P)2024 Penguin Audio"

James Baldwin (Author), Bahni Turpin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Another Country

"Brought to you by Penguin. 'A masterwork... an almost unbearable, tumultuous, blood-pounding experience' Washinton Post When Another Country appeared in 1962, it caused a literary sensation. James Baldwin's masterly story of desire, hatred and violence opens with the unforgettable character of Rufus Scott, a scavenging Harlem jazz musician adrift in New York. Self-destructive, bad and brilliant, he draws us into a Bohemian underworld pulsing with heat, music and sex, where desperate and dangerous characters betray, love and test each other to the limit. 'In Another Country, Baldwin created the essential American drama of the century' Colm Tóibín © 1962, 1963 James Baldwin (P)2024 Penguin Audio"

James Baldwin (Author), Dion Graham (Narrator)

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Notes of a Native Son

"Brought to you by Penguin. 'The story of the negro in America is the story of America ... it is not a very pretty story' James Baldwin's breakthrough essay collection made him the voice of his generation. Ranging over Harlem in the 1940s, movies, novels, his preacher father and his experiences of Paris, they capture the complexity of black life at the dawn of the civil rights movement with effervescent wit and prophetic wisdom. 'A classic ... In a divided America, James Baldwin's fiery critiques reverberate anew' Washington Post 'Edgy and provocative, entertainingly satirical' Robert McCrum, Guardian 'Cemented his reputation as a cultural seer ... Notes of a Native Son endures as his defining work, and his greatest' Time ©1955 James Baldwin (P)2024 Penguin Audio"

James Baldwin (Author), Ron Butler (Narrator)

Audiobook

[Spanish] - El blues de Beale Street

"Una de las mejores novelas del autor afroamericano James Baldwin. Una dolorosa historia de amor e injusticia racial en el Nueva York de los setenta que ha inspirado la nueva película de Barry Jenkins, director de la oscarizada Moonlight. En este gran clásico de la literatura norteamericana del siglo xx, James Baldwin da voz a Tish, una chica de diecinueve años embarazada de un joven escultor llamado Fonny. Novios desde el instituto, decidieron casarse y formar una familia, pero sus planes se truncan cuando él es injustamente acusado de violación y encarcelado. A través del relato de Tish recorremos la historia de amor de esta pareja afroamericana a la vez que asistimos al intento desesperado de la familia por liberar a Fonny de la cárcel y demostrar su inocencia, en una lucha contra la hostilidad y la injusticia de un sistema racista y corrupto. Publicada por primera vez en 1974, la violencia y la sensualidad de la novela de Baldwin siguen golpeando y conmoviendo conciencias con la cadencia triste y pasional del blues más sentido, avivado en estas páginas por el amor más puro y el afán de supervivencia de unos seres marginados por el color de su piel y por su pobreza. La crítica ha dicho... «Hoy, como ayer, la narrativa estadounidense no puede entenderse sin haber leído a Baldwin.» El País «El blues de Beale Street es una historia conmovedora y dolorosa. Es tan vívidamente humana y está tan evidentemente basada en la propia realidad que nos parece atemporal; un arte que no tiene la mínima necesidad de trucos estéticos.» Joyce Carol Oates, The New York Times Book Review «Baldwin es un escritor extraordinariamente bueno, valiente y colmado de emoción: desde la rabia hasta la ternura exquisita. Es realmente uno de los buenos, uno de los grandes escritores que Estados Unidos ha producido.» Paul Auster «Si Van Gogh fue nuestro artista-santo del siglo XIX, en el siglo XX tenemos a James Baldwin.» Michael Ondaatje «Uno de los mejores libros escritos por Baldwin, quizás el mejor de todos.» The Philadelphia Inquirer «Una gran obra dentro de la ficción afroamericana en Estados Unidos [...]. Su mejor novela.» The New Republic «Una potente historia de amor. Luminosa, trágica, desaforada, como deben ser esta clase de historias.» Miguel Artaza, Pérgola «Una historia de regusto clásico, de una intensidad, sensualidad y humanidad incomparables.» Raül Jiménez, Indienauta"

James Baldwin (Author), Elizabeth Infante (Narrator)

Audiobook

[German] - Ein anderes Land, Band (Ungekürzt)

"Baldwins explizitester, leidenschaftlichster Roman Warum hat Rufus Scott - ein begnadeter schwarzer Schlagzeuger aus Harlem - sich das Leben genommen? Wegen seiner Amour fou mit der weißen Leona, einer Liebe, die nicht sein durfte? Verzweifelt sucht Rufus' Schwester Ida nach einer Erklärung. Aber sie findet nur Wahrheiten, die neue Wunden schlagen - auch Wahrheiten über sich selbst. Wie ihr Bruder war Ida lange bereit, sich selbst zu verleugnen, um ihren Traum zu verwirklichen, den Traum, Sängerin zu werden. Wie ihr Bruder trägt sie eine Wut auf die Weißen in sich, die sie diskriminieren. Bis jetzt. Baldwin verwickelt uns in ein gefährliches Spiel von Liebe und Hass - vor der Kulisse eines Amerikas, das sich selbst in Trümmer legt."

James Baldwin (Author), Christian Brückner (Narrator)

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Great American Authors Read from Their Works, Vol. 1

"These five recordings of twentieth-century American authors interpreting their own works were highly praised when first released in the 1960s. Today the cultural and historical value of these recordings makes them an essential part of our literary heritage. This volume contains readings by James Baldwin from Giovanni’s Room and Another Country, exploring the challenges of being black and gay in mid-twentieth century America. William Styron reads about a disabled child finding brief moments of joy in Lie Down in Darkness, his novel about a troubled Southern family. James Jones reads the most famous passage from his celebrated World War II novel, From Here to Eternity. And Philip Roth does a hilarious comic turn in a bizarre scene from his early novel, Letting Go."

James Baldwin, James Jones, Philip Roth, William Styron (Author), Various (Narrator)

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