Giovanni's Room

E68873

Giovanni's Room is a groundbreaking 1956 novel by James Baldwin that explores themes of sexuality, identity, and alienation through the tragic love affair between two men in Paris.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf novel
author James Baldwin
centralRelationship romantic relationship between David and Giovanni
containsMotif light and darkness
mirrors and self-reflection
rooms as symbols of confinement
controversialFor frank treatment of homosexuality in the 1950s
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: "United States"
criticalReception acclaimed by many literary critics
genre LGBT literature
literary fiction
psychological novel
hasAdaptation stage adaptations
hasCategory 1956 American novels
American LGBT novels
Novels by James Baldwin
Novels set in Paris
hasForm prose
hasISBN 978-0-679-72474-3
hasLiteraryMovement African American literature
surface form: "African-American literature"

queer literature
hasStructure two-part novel
influenced later LGBTQ novels
language English
mainCharacter Giovanni
Hella
narrationType first-person narration
narrativePerspective retrospective account
notableFor early explicit depiction of same-sex desire in mainstream American literature
exploration of queer identity before the gay liberation movement
openingLocationInStory a house in the south of France
pageCount approximately 248 pages
protagonist David
publicationDate 1956
publisher Dial Press
setInCountry France
setInLocation Paris
theme alienation
bisexuality
expatriate experience
gender roles
homosexuality
internalized homophobia
love and betrayal
sexual identity
shame
timePeriodOfSetting 1950s
titleRefersTo Giovanni's small room in Paris

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

James Baldwin notableWork Giovanni's Room
Another Country precededBy Giovanni's Room

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