(1953) was James Baldwin’s first novel, which he claimed he “had to write” to come to terms with both his origins in the poverty-stricken Harlem of uptown tenements and store-front churches, and his fraught relationship with his repressive laborer/preacher stepfather. Among the novel’s working titles were “Crying Holly” and “In My Father’s House”, the latter of which reflected the literal and metaphorical confines of family, church, and neighborhood that frame the protagonist John Grimes’ coming-of-age story. In its early stages, Richard Wright received the manuscript positively and recommended Baldwin for a Saxton Fellowship at Harper’s in 1945. The stipend helped Baldwin to commit to his vocation as a full-time writer, although he…

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Citation: Zaborowska, Magdalena J.. "Go Tell It On the Mountain". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 April 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4950, accessed 23 November 2024.]