When James Baldwin handed in the manuscript of El cuarto de Giovanni in 1956, his editor advised him to burn it.
The story of a love triangle between two men in the bohemian Paris of the fifties broke too many taboos
for American society at the time. Baldwin, a Black writer who dared to tell the passion between two white men,
turned that novel into a literary milestone. Today it is considered one of the fundamental works of queer literature
and one of the great American novels of the twentieth century.
The plot follows David, a young American searching for himself, who in Paris becomes engaged to Hella but finds himself
irresistibly drawn to Giovanni, a magnetic and provocative Italian waiter. Between desire, secrecy, and fear,
David faces an impossible decision: the security of a conventional life with Hella or the uncertainty of
surrendering to passionate love with Giovanni. The choice will mark his fate and lead to an unforgettable tragedy.
With intense and heart-wrenching prose, Baldwin explores identity, desire, and social oppression in an essential novel
that continues to challenge generations of readers.
