author
Robert Jones
Best known for the acclaimed novel The Prophets, this Brooklyn-based writer brings history, love, and Black queer life to the center of the story. Before publishing fiction, he built a wide following for sharp, thoughtful cultural commentary under the name Son of Baldwin.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Robert Jones, Jr. is an American writer and public speaker based in Brooklyn, New York. Before turning to fiction, he became widely known online as Son of Baldwin, a voice shaped by the influence of James Baldwin and by his own work on race, sexuality, culture, and social justice.
His debut novel, The Prophets (2021), became a New York Times bestseller and drew major attention for its lyrical storytelling and its focus on the love between two enslaved men. The book was a finalist for the 2021 National Book Award for Fiction and won the 2022 Publishing Triangle Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction.
Alongside his fiction, he has contributed essays and commentary to projects including The 1619 Project. His work is often praised for combining historical imagination with emotional depth, and for making space for voices and relationships that have too often been pushed to the margins.