Illustrated by Lela Harris
Introduced by Hilton Als
James Baldwin’s tender, fearless novel of love, shame and longing is a defining work of modern literature. With intimate charcoal portraits from Lela Harris, this Folio captures every aching heartbeat of this timeless story
Coming 3 June 2025.
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Editor’s Note
- Sophia Schoepfer, Editor
First published almost 70 years ago, Giovanni's Room is a literary masterpiece and an essential work of queer fiction. It is by turns deeply moving, bitterly heartbreaking and formative.
In this Folio edition, an introduction by the erudite writer and critic Hilton Als sheds light on the novel's themes and its characters, its flaws and its beauty – and the life and mind of the author behind it. The story of David and Giovanni is rendered in intimate and expressive charcoal illustrations by the artist Lela Harris. A study of Paris by night, tender portraits and a dining room still life – newspapers, wine bottles and all – capture the essence of this modern classic.
Quarter-bound in blocked cloth with printed paper sides
Set in Garamond with Octavian as display
192 pages
Frontispiece and 5 illustrations including one double-page spread
Printed slipcase
8¾˝ x 5½˝
‘I never in a million years thought I’d be lucky enough to illustrate another book for The Folio Society so I was thrilled to bits when I was approached to illustrate Giovanni’s Room last year. James Baldwin is one of my heroes, so it’s been a huge privilege and an honour to illustrate one of his beautifully written novels which so sensitively explores themes of love, identity and belonging.’
- Lela Harris, Illustrator
David has always known the life he’s supposed to want – a respectable future, a woman by his side. But in the shadowed bars and winding streets of 1950s Paris, he meets Giovanni, a barman with a restless spirit and a room that becomes their entire world. As desire ignites, so does David’s fear – of himself, of love, of a truth he cannot escape. Baldwin’s haunting novel is a story of longing and loss, of the devastating cost of denying who we are, and of a love consumed by the fear of being truly seen.
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