“I can’t breathe,” James Baldwin told his assistant Zeynep Oral back in 1961, “I have to look from the outside.” Outside meant Istanbul, the city to which the American writer and civil rights activist moved and stayed on and off for more than a decade—a little-known aspect of his otherwise extensively studied life.
According to Atesh M. Gundogdu, publishing editor of Artspeak NYC, Baldwin’s sojourn wasn’t driven by leisure or curiosity so much as the “need for a refuge—both from the racial tensions in the United States and the pressures of the time.” As a Black, gay man, Baldwin did not feel at home in his own country. But in Istanbul, a cultural melting pot ruled by a secular government at that time, he could be himself.
“Turkey,” he later declared, “saved my life!”
Gundogdu is not just an editor. He also worked as the co-curator for “Turkey Saved My Life–Baldwin in Istanbul, 1961–1971,” a new exhibition at the Brooklyn Public Library’s Grand Lobby. It recounts Baldwin’s stay in Turkey by way of evocative, rarely-seen photographs taken by one of the many friends he made during his time abroad, an engineering student turned photographer-filmmaker named Sedat Pakay.
Baldwin sitting in a Triumph Herald on the Bosporus Ferry. Photo: Sedat Pakay.
Pakay was only 19 years old when he stumbled upon a newspaper article announcing the celebrated writer’s imminent arrival in Istanbul. The two ended up meeting through a mutual friend and quickly hit it off, so much so that Pakay went on to become Baldwin’s photographer, documenting his frequent tours around the city, interactions with locals, and partaking in popular tourist activities, like smoking hookah, drinking tea, and admiring mosques, all of which can be seen at the BPL exhibition.
“Sedat Pakay was not only an accomplished photographer,” said Gundogdu, “but also a close friend of Baldwin during his time in Turkey. Their friendship extended beyond the creative sphere—Baldwin even sponsored Pakay during the process of obtaining his Green Card in the United States. His photographs capture Baldwin in moments of intimacy, vulnerability, and joy. They reveal a side of Baldwin that often escapes his more public persona, showing his warmth, deep connections with friends, and his contemplative nature.”
Ted Russell, Bob Dylan talking to James Baldwin at the Emergency Civil Liberties Committee’s Bill of Rights Dinner. Courtesy of Ted Russell/Polaris/Steven Kasher Gallery.
Baldwin’s eventful social and artistic life did not slow down in Istanbul. He befriended Turkish writers, actors, and filmmakers, and helped them with their projects. He threw lavish parties for famous acquaintances visiting from America, including Don Cherry and Marlon Brando, while working on manuscripts including Another Country and The Fire Next Time.
“Turkey provided Baldwin with a unique vantage point to reflect on the struggles he wrote about,” added Gundogdu, “particularly the racial and social injustices in America. Being away from the immediate pressures of his homeland enabled him to see these issues with greater clarity. Moreover, Turkey’s own struggles with identity and modernity [Baldwin was nicknamed ‘Arab’] may have resonated with Baldwin, enriching his understanding of what it means to navigate multiple, often conflicting, identities.”
“Turkey Saved My Life–Baldwin in Istanbul, 1961–1971” is on view at the Brooklyn Public Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza
Brooklyn, New York, through February 28, 2025