Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone
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- Create Date：2021-07-11 09:54:26
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：James Baldwin
- ISBN：0241342031
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Summary
In this tender， impassioned fourth novel， James Baldwin created one of his most striking characters: a man struggling to become himself。
'Everyone wishes to be loved， but in the event， nearly no one can bear it'
At the height of his theatrical career， the actor Leo Proudhammer is nearly felled by a heart attack。 As he hovers between life and death， we see the choices that have made him enviably famous and terrifyingly vulnerable。 For between Leo's childhood on the streets of Harlem and his arrival into the world of the theatre lies a wilderness of desire and loss， shame and rage。 And everywhere there is the anguish of being black in a society that seems poised on the brink of racial war。 In this tender， angry 1968 novel， James Baldwin created one of his most striking characters: a man struggling to become himself。
'The emotion surrounding family attachment。。。 is deeply felt and is one reasons he continues to be read with such intensity' Colm Tóibín
'Everyone wishes to be loved， but in the event， nearly no one can bear it'
At the height of his theatrical career， the actor Leo Proudhammer is nearly felled by a heart attack。 As he hovers between life and death， we see the choices that have made him enviably famous and terrifyingly vulnerable。 For between Leo's childhood on the streets of Harlem and his arrival into the world of the theatre lies a wilderness of desire and loss， shame and rage。 And everywhere there is the anguish of being black in a society that seems poised on the brink of racial war。 In this tender， angry 1968 novel， James Baldwin created one of his most striking characters: a man struggling to become himself。
'The emotion surrounding family attachment。。。 is deeply felt and is one reasons he continues to be read with such intensity' Colm Tóibín
Reviews
Roadtotherisingsun
，
As usual James Baldwin has me on the edge of my seat all the way through his novel。 To me a Baldwin novel cannot be bad。 They are all amazing and makes me question what it means to be human。 This is not as strong as some of his other works but it makes you weep through and through。 He blends past and present so seamlessly and as always writes so beautiful and vulnerable about love and sexuality。 Race always has a big part of his books。 But in this novel it tugs at the heartstrings more than usua As usual James Baldwin has me on the edge of my seat all the way through his novel。 To me a Baldwin novel cannot be bad。 They are all amazing and makes me question what it means to be human。 This is not as strong as some of his other works but it makes you weep through and through。 He blends past and present so seamlessly and as always writes so beautiful and vulnerable about love and sexuality。 Race always has a big part of his books。 But in this novel it tugs at the heartstrings more than usual。James Baldwin‘s language is always sweeping and filled with declarations of freedom and palaces of paragraphs。 。。。more
Andrea
，
Can't go wrong with anything by James Baldwin。 Even though this was longer than I expected， it was at no point a slog， which I appreciated。 Can't go wrong with anything by James Baldwin。 Even though this was longer than I expected， it was at no point a slog， which I appreciated。 。。。more
Reba
，
This one was panned by most critics， but I just can't hate on Baldwin。 This may have been a tad overblown， and slightly indulgent at times， but I found myself caught up in Leo's story。 And， I know I've said it before， but it is so unbelievable that Baldwin was writing character， scenes， dialogue， and content in the 60's and 70's that is just as applicable now。 This one was panned by most critics， but I just can't hate on Baldwin。 This may have been a tad overblown， and slightly indulgent at times， but I found myself caught up in Leo's story。 And， I know I've said it before， but it is so unbelievable that Baldwin was writing character， scenes， dialogue， and content in the 60's and 70's that is just as applicable now。 。。。more
Tracynelson
，
"Tell Me is the story of an angry black man， and his friends and lovers， fighting their way through a fucked up world。 All of us who are doing the same should read his beautiful words。" ~ Sai Englert "Tell Me is the story of an angry black man， and his friends and lovers， fighting their way through a fucked up world。 All of us who are doing the same should read his beautiful words。" ~ Sai Englert 。。。more
Ellen Goldfinch
，
Exquisite writing and painfully truthful。
Leon Breckenridge
，
Tell me how long the train has been gone is the fake biographer novel about Leo Proudhammer written by James Baldwin。 Leo is a man who is into many things。 He is an actor and entertainer who has a heart attack and is forced to look out at his life from the past up to that moment and beyond。 Here we are on a journey of black men dealing with their family， racism， sexuality， and professional ambition。 The story was told from the perspective of Leo Proudhammer， who can act as an asshole。 But I thin Tell me how long the train has been gone is the fake biographer novel about Leo Proudhammer written by James Baldwin。 Leo is a man who is into many things。 He is an actor and entertainer who has a heart attack and is forced to look out at his life from the past up to that moment and beyond。 Here we are on a journey of black men dealing with their family， racism， sexuality， and professional ambition。 The story was told from the perspective of Leo Proudhammer， who can act as an asshole。 But I think his asshole comes from a nation not built to support him or his emotional needs。 They always wanted his body。 This story of a man wanting to be free from his sexism and racism。 The power of the man who lives through these times of changes。 He had a complex relationship with his family because of their outside relationships。 It is interesting that you are reading the beginning of modern day America toxic masculinity。 This is shown mostly through his big brother Caleb who struggles with his way in society by going from a hustler， prisoner， military， to preacher。 Caleb's ‘Relationship’ in Italy forced him to do the unthinkable because of toxic masculinity。 This book shows how toxic masculinity saps the soul out of black men。 How it makes us hide who we are and what we desire。 It makes us feel like we are shadowed in a world where nobody pays attention to us unless we are doing something。 It makes us angry。 It makes us believe in organizations instead of heart。 Heart is heart。 Barbara was his white lover， with whom he had a complicated relationship。 He didn’t like her in some ways because he was white but on the outside he was joyous of her。 I think he respected her。 I think he wanted to be in love with her。 Black Christopher was cool。 His young lover who showed him the young 60s of being open。 I think his relationships were rather interesting。 In the novel I noticed how his sex scenes with Barabara were very graphic while we never see that with Black Christopher。 He wrote him like a beautiful lover。 A lover who is angelic in his eyes。 Black Christopher was saying to Leo Proudhammer that love is possible。 Name the part of Black Christopher is an ode that Leo wants to be loud and proud in his stances in the world。 The beauty of the novel of Leo evolving to know love。 This novel reads like a love novel but for black people under the scope of a racist world。 James Baldwin wrote the book in a way where we see how the man became the man he was while showing us his battle in real time after his heart attack in the beginning of the novel。 This book is a biography， it is also an understanding on how black people live in New York during those times。 It was no different than the South。 How the Jewish man shamed his father for being late on the rent。 His father being an ex-gavyenite is not taking that lightly。 How in upstate New York he was met with racism multiple times。 How Black people from different communities and environments engage with each other。 How people see you because you are famous compared to how you see yourself。 The military side story is really interesting。 Leo Proudhammer's story could easily be transformed into a story。 Or a musical。 What I appreciate about James Baldwin writing of Leo Proudhammer is allowing Leo to feel all of his emotions。 Allowing him to be a flawed black man with a flawed perspective to still be a leader。 The beginning of the story starting with taking off his blackface is symbolic of us showing the journey to the nakedness of Leo Proudhammer。 Going from a performer to being a black man with a complex life。 I think this story could be told in modern times as when I think about this book I remember his conversations with his brother and family。 How these scenes were more important than the plays he has been or the accolades he has obtained。 Family is important。 。。。more
Oryx
，
3。6669
Chukwudi Barrah
，
"And the determination to outwit one's situation means that one has no models。 Only abject lessons。"Classic Baldwin。 Although it is a shame that all these years have passed and nothing much has changed in the times， it is beautiful to even now still be able to read/listen to his words and fully comprehend the experience。 "And the determination to outwit one's situation means that one has no models。 Only abject lessons。"Classic Baldwin。 Although it is a shame that all these years have passed and nothing much has changed in the times， it is beautiful to even now still be able to read/listen to his words and fully comprehend the experience。 。。。more
Darth Grumble
，
A tremendous novel。 A writer of unparalleled voice and genius。
Mélanie
，
"On peut modifier la méthode utilisée pour atteindre un objectif， mais l'objectif， lui， ne varie jamais。 Ce que nous voulons par tous les moyens， c'est une liberté absolue， une justice absolue， une égalité absolue。 Cela ne varie jamais。 Être absolument et immédiatement reconnus et respectés， en tant qu'êtres humains， voilà ce que nous voulons tous， et cela ne varie pas。 Peu importe votre appartenance， ce qui compte， c'est que vous vouliez être reconnus comme des êtres humains et respectés en tan "On peut modifier la méthode utilisée pour atteindre un objectif， mais l'objectif， lui， ne varie jamais。 Ce que nous voulons par tous les moyens， c'est une liberté absolue， une justice absolue， une égalité absolue。 Cela ne varie jamais。 Être absolument et immédiatement reconnus et respectés， en tant qu'êtres humains， voilà ce que nous voulons tous， et cela ne varie pas。 Peu importe votre appartenance， ce qui compte， c'est que vous vouliez être reconnus comme des êtres humains et respectés en tant que tels。 " Malcolm X。Certains combats ne sont malheureusement toujours pas gagnés。。。 Lisez "L'homme qui meurt" de James Baldwin : convalescent et immobilisé pour une longue période， un célèbre acteur noir， né à Harlem， va détricoter les étapes et les rencontres essentielles de sa vie et dépeindre en toile de fond une société américaine viciée et raciste。Ce roman est un classique de la littérature américaine et son auteur， James Baldwin， était un acteur-clé de la lutte pour les droits civiques et un grand pourfendeur des inégalités raciales et sexuelles notamment。 。。。more
Eva Gelder
，
Stunning， and important
Mika Lamminpää
，
Melkein vuosi meni tätä lukiessa kun väliin kiilasi aina jotakin muuta; se on näiden omassa hyllyssä olevien kirjojen vika että niissä ei ole palautuspäivää， minkä vuoksi kaikki kirjastosta kahmittu menee aina väliin。 Romaani on kestänyt yllätävän hyvin aikaa， oikeastaan se on kiusallisen ajankohtainen nyt kun on tämä Black Live Matter -keskustelu meneillään - eikö 1960-luvun lopun jälkeen ole tämän pidemmälle vielä päästy？ Eettinen evoluutio matelee， kuten muistelen Leena Krohnin joskus tokaiss Melkein vuosi meni tätä lukiessa kun väliin kiilasi aina jotakin muuta; se on näiden omassa hyllyssä olevien kirjojen vika että niissä ei ole palautuspäivää， minkä vuoksi kaikki kirjastosta kahmittu menee aina väliin。 Romaani on kestänyt yllätävän hyvin aikaa， oikeastaan se on kiusallisen ajankohtainen nyt kun on tämä Black Live Matter -keskustelu meneillään - eikö 1960-luvun lopun jälkeen ole tämän pidemmälle vielä päästy？ Eettinen evoluutio matelee， kuten muistelen Leena Krohnin joskus tokaisseen。 Romaani suomennettiin aivan tuoreeltaan ja käännöksen ikääntyminen näkyy joissain nyt hiukan hymyilyttävissä kohdissa， missä syödään kiinalaisessa ravintolassa "makeaa ja hapanta porsaaanlihaa"， ja joku mies on "iloinen" （gay）。 Myös n-sanan käyttö on silmiinpistävän runsasta; sitä sanaa tekijä varmasti käytti itsekin， vaikka olikin tummaihoinen mies。 Niin muuttuu sanasto， ja ehkä vähän maailmakin。 。。。more
Oskar
，
This might very well be my favourite Baldwin novel。 It writes earnestly about race but also about love， with all the hardships that bring。 Baldwin succeeded in making me care deeply for Leo， the protagonist。 As for the prose， it never left me wanting for more。“Everyone wishes to be loved， but in the event， nearly no one can bear it。 Everyone desires love but also finds it impossible to believe that he deserves it。”
Kelsey Doolittle
，
Some really beautiful metaphors that I enjoyed， and a very raw exposure of what it was like for a bisexual black man trying to survive while growing up in WWII era in the US。Reading the story feels like you're in Leo's head， which is messy and uncomfortable and sometimes cryptic。 I both respected his choice to stay true to the character by including all of these themes， but it was sometimes tiring to read because there was so much going on。 There wasn't any sort of takeaway- and perhaps that was Some really beautiful metaphors that I enjoyed， and a very raw exposure of what it was like for a bisexual black man trying to survive while growing up in WWII era in the US。Reading the story feels like you're in Leo's head， which is messy and uncomfortable and sometimes cryptic。 I both respected his choice to stay true to the character by including all of these themes， but it was sometimes tiring to read because there was so much going on。 There wasn't any sort of takeaway- and perhaps that was his intention。 。。。more
Emily
，
Incredibly written。 Insightful and powerful。Prompted some really brilliant conversations。
Julia Dolinish
，
Amazing writing！ Like really descriptive and makes everything come to life。 It was captivating。 Yet the only complaints are it was a tad long winded and the storyline was a bit all over the place。 Definitely need to read more of baldwin’s work
OH
，
It's hard to overstate how good Baldwin is at pulling a brief interaction or observation apart and having the reader look at it from multiple angles， like a rubix cube。The present tense of this book is the shortest: Actor Leo Proudhammer has had a heart attack and has a short stay in hospital and is then released into the care of his co-star， longtime friend， one time lover Barbara。 The bulk of the book， during Leo's stay at the hospital， is a look back at his childhood， relationships， reckoning It's hard to overstate how good Baldwin is at pulling a brief interaction or observation apart and having the reader look at it from multiple angles， like a rubix cube。The present tense of this book is the shortest: Actor Leo Proudhammer has had a heart attack and has a short stay in hospital and is then released into the care of his co-star， longtime friend， one time lover Barbara。 The bulk of the book， during Leo's stay at the hospital， is a look back at his childhood， relationships， reckoning with white supremacy/white people in the U。S， and career trajectory as an actor。 This is partly a story about love （the failed romantic， but still caring， relationships with both Barbara and Christopher）; partly a story about what Black people have to give up in order to "make in" in the U。S。; and party a story about the fulfillment of a childhood dream。 Beautifully written and deserving of more than 5 stars。 。。。more
Guillaume Frasca
，
Superbe récit de vie d’un acteur， victime d’une crise cardiaque à la sortie d’une pièce， qui va peut-être l’amener à reconsidérer ses choix de vie。 Tout au long d’une narration d’une parfaite fluidité， on revit les événements marquants de son existence， depuis son enfance à Harlem en passant par des premiers pas d’acteur， et ses amours multiples。 Tout le fil du récit est marqué du racisme profond du pays et de ses conséquences majeures dans la construction d’un individu。 A lire ！
Jörni
，
No Spoiler: Rückblicke eines Theaterschauspielers， wie immer liebevoll und vor dem Hintergrund von Schwarzen in den USA herzzerreißend geschrieben。
Darryl Suite
，
I need more time to process。 The tone is more obvious in its angrer and cynicism than all of his other novels （note: I haven't read Just Above My Head） and feels more in conversation with his scathing， no holds barred nonfiction。 It's also very theatrical in style。 This book is not for the impatient reader。 If you haven't read Baldwin before， don't start with this one。 This may not be my favorite Baldwin book， but it's great nonetheless。 So much to process。 I need more time to process。 The tone is more obvious in its angrer and cynicism than all of his other novels （note: I haven't read Just Above My Head） and feels more in conversation with his scathing， no holds barred nonfiction。 It's also very theatrical in style。 This book is not for the impatient reader。 If you haven't read Baldwin before， don't start with this one。 This may not be my favorite Baldwin book， but it's great nonetheless。 So much to process。 。。。more
Lilly
，
The last Baldwin work I read was quite dark （brilliant nonetheless）， this one is the opposite。 Although Baldwin explores difficult topics， this is a story of true connections and relationships: raw， passionate or even carnal， multi-facetted， full of vitality， ambiguous at times。 Almost a happy-end？Beautiful character studies in general， this work was a pleasure to read and hard to put down。188 and 127Anyone else‘s Vintage International Edition missing pg。 423-454？ I have a rogue excerpt of Maure The last Baldwin work I read was quite dark （brilliant nonetheless）， this one is the opposite。 Although Baldwin explores difficult topics， this is a story of true connections and relationships: raw， passionate or even carnal， multi-facetted， full of vitality， ambiguous at times。 Almost a happy-end？Beautiful character studies in general， this work was a pleasure to read and hard to put down。188 and 127Anyone else‘s Vintage International Edition missing pg。 423-454？ I have a rogue excerpt of Maureen Jenning‘s Except the Dying smack in the middle of my last chapter 。。。more
Michael Scher
，
"and I am beginning to believe that a landscape is not a landscape at all， merely a reflection of the sensibility of the people who live in it" （184）"People who cannot make love make money" （185） "and I am beginning to believe that a landscape is not a landscape at all， merely a reflection of the sensibility of the people who live in it" （184）"People who cannot make love make money" （185） 。。。more
Giorgio Palumbo
，
questo libro me lo prestarono venticinque anni fa e fortunatamente chi me lo prestó non l’ha mai rivoluto indietro。 è un libro bellissimo， James Baldwin era uno splendido scrittore che conosceva perfettamente tutti i problemi e le persecuzioni dell’essere non eterosessuale e nero。 Senza questo libro non sarebbero esistiti Americanah e tanti altri grandi libri che sono venuti dopo。
alessandra falca
，
“Quella era America， America， America， e quella gente， quei miei compatrioti， per secoli non avevano fatto altro che azzannarmi， sbranarmi， come cani。 Non sarei stato il primo。” Baldwin， nel 1968 è netto。 Dritto。 E siamo nel 2021 e il sentimento di questo romanzo è più attuale che mai。 È il primo libro che leggo di James Baldwin e la sua scrittura arriva potente。 Il suo è un grande discorso sull’America e sul vivere in quel paese。 Da leggere ancora。
Marty Troyer
，
My favorite novel from the civil rights' novelist。 My favorite novel from the civil rights' novelist。 。。。more
Anne
，
Loved sections about living in Harlem / NYC。 And everything about his relationship with his brother。 Such a gifted writer。
Paulo Mota
，
It is one of those books， a novel that transcends all kinds of beliefs。 A book that once you start you don't want it to end。 Why？ Where is the power？ In honesty。 Like always。 I am a white man and this book moved me to tears， constantly。 It also made me laugh， occasionally， and it helped me to breathe a little。Leo Proudhammer is an amazing human being， he conquered everything that he could muster and fought alienation daily， something that every human being is aware of。 Of course， and unfortunate It is one of those books， a novel that transcends all kinds of beliefs。 A book that once you start you don't want it to end。 Why？ Where is the power？ In honesty。 Like always。 I am a white man and this book moved me to tears， constantly。 It also made me laugh， occasionally， and it helped me to breathe a little。Leo Proudhammer is an amazing human being， he conquered everything that he could muster and fought alienation daily， something that every human being is aware of。 Of course， and unfortunately， not many are aware that racism and xenophobia alienate people， they are not even aware of the consequences of their actions， and this is a great， great chunk of this book。 But for me， there is more about it than that。 Leo is much more than a character， like stated， he is pretty damn real， he has the blood and experience of the amazing James Baldwin。 Go on， take his hand and dive into the reality of a Negro born and raised in Harlem。I loved "If Beale Street Could Talk"， but this book。。。 this book goes beyond。 I can't even write properly， in fact， I am very afraid to talk about anything。 What I wrote before， is dim， sleazy and unworthy of this book。 James Baldwin was the real deal。 This is all that you need to know。 Go read this book NOW。And have a happy new year。 All the best to you and your own。 And please， just please， be honest with yourself， look at what you are doing with your life。 We are all human beings， we should respect each other。 Stop promoting division！ （It is hard， but we can do it！） 。。。more
Miso
，
SummaryFamous actor Leo Proudhammer has a heart attack whilst on stage。 During his recovery he reflects on his impoverished childhood， his wandering teens and his unexpected rise to fame， where themes of race and sexuality are explored。 His fears， aspirations， and many love affairs with women and men， play out against the backdrop of a contemptuous White American society。Tags#literaryfiction #socialcommentary #comingofage #racism #bisexualityThings I Liked•tThematically rich – It is very clear SummaryFamous actor Leo Proudhammer has a heart attack whilst on stage。 During his recovery he reflects on his impoverished childhood， his wandering teens and his unexpected rise to fame， where themes of race and sexuality are explored。 His fears， aspirations， and many love affairs with women and men， play out against the backdrop of a contemptuous White American society。Tags#literaryfiction #socialcommentary #comingofage #racism #bisexualityThings I Liked•tThematically rich – It is very clear that Baldwin’s （author） spirit is deeply agitated and motivated by racism， namely in America。 With little nuance， racism as described via institutional bias， police brutality， prison brutality， lack of opportunity and community contempt are all very clearly and painfully construed。 •tPoetic writing – with great skill Baldwin weaves rich description and metaphor into his narrative without it being heavy-handed or distracting。 Every few paragraphs you’ll be hit with a one-liner that is very visual and illustrative; “The rain fell as hard as ever， with a whispering sound – like monstrous old gossips whispering together。”•tAtmospheric – the writing renders the setting so that the reader gets a strong sense of the neglected streets of Harlem， the rolling beauty of San Francisco， the bohemian freedom of New York and the inexorable， ever-present threat of violent racism。 Things I Did Not Like;•tUnfocused – this book lacks precision。 It is as if Baldwin cannot remove something he has written， even if it is completely unnecessary for the plot。 This leads to bloated， meandering passages and a sense of disorientation， and at times inattention， in the reader。 •tOverly long – This book needed editing。 It follows a non-chronological narrative which is great， but it also lacks any ending-point， ending goal， rising tension or denouement。 It reads more as a brooding diary， which stops me from feeling fully invested in any outcome。 •tUninteresting characters – although they are technically well described and fleshed out， there is nothing really appealing about any of the characters。 They are definitely very human， nuanced， but aren’t especially warm or inviting – it is difficult to care about them。•tHalf-explored situations – A relationship is described as tumultuous – and then it just is， because the reasons why it is aren’t explored。 Another significant relationship appears towards the end of the book， is half-explored， and then we move on。 These shallow sketches make for a tedious read。 Summary The theme of racism is felt powerfully in this long and unfocused novel。 Although rich and detailed， a strong theme alone does not make a story。 Without an interesting plot or attractive characters to bring more vigour to the novel， it unfortunately becomes quite difficult to read。 I would only recommend this to readers who enjoy meandering and ponderous literary fiction。 。。。more
Wayne Low
，
Brilliant exercise in structure and sensitivity。
Dr
，