Nobody Knows My Name: More Notes of a Native Son

This essay, written by Baldwin after Richard Wright’s death in 1960, was commissioned by The Reporter as a memoir of Baldwin’s relationship with Wright. Baldwin uses his history with Wright as a framework to discuss the experiences of an artist and the unique challenges facing Black artists in the 20th century. Baldwin’s feelings about Wright and his relationship with the artist were complicated. The two were united by their success as Black authors, speaking about the unique challenges Black individuals face in countries which repeatedly attempt to undermine and oppress them. However, the approaches of the two men were vastly different, and Baldwin repeatedly criticized Wright’s attitude and understanding.

Baldwin’s friendship and later rift with Wright helped Baldwin flesh out his identity as a writer and an American. Many of Baldwin’s essays are focused on his encounters with others and trying to understand what the experiences and lives of others say about his own life. The writer seeks every opportunity to engage with The Importance of Self-Examination and Self-Knowledge. By clarifying his feelings about Wright, Baldwin shapes his identity as a writer, American, and man: “His work was a road-block in my road, the sphinx, really, whose riddles I had to answer before I could become myself” (197). Baldwin’s continuous reflection and introspection are often focused on the great question of identity: Baldwin needed to shape an identity that was separate from Wright while also understanding how that same identity was shaped by him.