One Day, when I was Lost: A Scenario Based on Alex Haley's "The Autobiography of Malcolm X"

James Baldwin

Dell, 1990 - Drama - 268 pages

James Baldwin's screenplay based on Alex Haley's now classic "The Autobiography Of Malcolm X makes immediate and terrfyingly real the stunning events that gave birth to a forceful, determined man . . . and created the atmosphere of hate that ultimately murdered him. Juxtaposing eloquence and violence, the highest of human ideals with the basest of human violence, this rare screenplay recreates Malcolm X as a symbol for his times . . . and as a flesh and blood black man who feels, loves, hates, and forgives through a life torn by pain, healed by faith, and finally ended by the bullets from a black brother's gun.

About the author

James Baldwin was born on August 2, 1924, in New York. Baldwin's father was a pastor who subjected his children to poverty, abuse, and religious fanaticism. As a result, many of Baldwin's recurring themes, such as alienation and rejection, are attributable to his upbringing. Living the life of a starving artist, Baldwin went through numerous jobs, including dishwasher, office boy, factory worker, and waiter. In 1948, he moved to France, where much work originated. Baldwin published Go Tell It on the Mountain in 1953. A largely autobiographical work, it tells of the religious awakening of a fourteen-year-old. In addition to his childhood experiences, his experiences as a black man and a homosexual provided inspiration for such works as Giovanni's Room, Nobody Knows My Name, and Another Country. Baldwin holds a distinguished place in American history as one of the foremost writers of both black and gay literature. He was an active participant in the Civil Rights movement. Baldwin succumbed to cancer on December 1, 1987.

Bibliographic information

• Title: One Day, when I was Lost: A Scenario Based on Alex Haley's "The Autobiography of Malcolm X"; Laurel book
• Author: James Baldwin
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: Dell, 1990
• ISBN: 044020660X, 9780440206606
• Length: 268 pages
• Subjects: Drama / American / General; Fiction / General; Social Science / Ethnic Studies / American / African American & Black Studies