Baldwin 's writings of the 1970s and 1980s largely have been overlooked by critics , though even these texts are beginning to receive attention . Several of his essays and interviews of the 1980s discuss homosexuality and homophobia with fervor and forthrightness . Eldridge Cleaver 's harsh criticism of Baldwin in '' Soul on Ice '' and elsewhere and Baldwin 's return to southern France contributed to the sense that he was not in touch with his readership . Always true to his own convictions rather than to the tastes of others , Baldwin continued to write what he wanted to write . As he had been the leading literary voice of the civil rights movement , he became an inspirational figure for the emerging gay rights movement . His two novels written in the 1970s , '' If Beale Street Could Talk '' ( 1974 ) and '' Just Above My Head '' ( 1979 ) , placed a strong emphasis on the importance of Black American families . He concluded his career by publishing a volume of poetry , '' Jimmy 's Blues '' ( 1983 ) , as well as another book-length essay , '' The Evidence of Things Not Seen '' ( 1985 ) , an extended meditation inspired by the Atlanta child murders of the early 1980s
Atlanta child murders
Atlanta murders of 1979–81
James Baldwin