Selected by Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo, this series rediscovers and celebrates pioneering books depicting black Britain that remap the nation.
Evaristo has also written the introductions for the books in the series. Featuring rediscovered works about Black Britain and the diaspora that were written over the past 100 years, the intention is to present a “body of work that illustrates a variety of preoccupations and genres that offer important and diverse Black British perspectives."
The Booker Prize-winner says, "Our ambition is to correct historic bias in British publishing and bring a wealth of lost writing back into circulation. While many of us continue to lobby for the publishing industry to become more inclusive and representative of our society, this project looks back to the past in order to resurrect texts that will help reconfigure black British literary history."
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Featuring 13 paperbacks from Black Britain: Writing Back:
Minty Alley by C.L.R. James
The only novel from the world-renowned writer C.L.R. James - this extraordinary, big-hearted exploration of class was the first novel by a black West Indian to be published in the UK.
'A novel written nearly a hundred years ago that brings the past alive with such charm, vitality and humour.' Bernardine Evaristo, from the Introduction.
ISBN: 9780241482667
Length: 272 Pages
The Fat Lady Sings by Jacqueline Roy
A groundbreaking novel exploring the intersection between race, class and mental health in the UK.
ISBN: 9780241482698
Length: 304 Pages
Incomparable World by S. I. Martin
A visceral reimagining of 1780s London, showcasing the untold stories of African-American soldiers grappling with their post-war freedom.
ISBN: 9780241482667
Length: 272 Pages
Without Prejudice by Nicola Williams
A gripping, propulsive courtroom thriller following barrister Lee Mitchell as she uncovers the dark secrets of London's obscenely rich.
ISBN: 9780241482650
Length: 384 Pages
The Dancing Face by Mike Phillips
A sensational, original thriller that examines the powerful link between identity, sacrifice and possession, and questions our compulsive need to chase after ambitions that leave devastation in their wake.
ISBN: 9780241482674
Length: 336 Pages
Bernard and the Cloth Monkey by Judith Bryan
A shattering portrayal of family, guilt and unshakable bonds as a family's deepest secrets explosively unravel.
ISBN: 9780241482681
Length: 224 Pages
Growing Out by Barbara Blake Hannah
A beautiful memoir written by the first black female TV journalist about her experience migrating from the Caribbean to the UK, and the beauty and struggle of becoming a woman during that experience.
ISBN: 9780241993767
Length: 224 Pages
Sequins for a Ragged Hem by Amryl Johnson
A beautifully atmospheric memoir and travelogue from poet Amryl Johnson depicting her journey from the UK to Trinidad in the 1980s.
ISBN: 9780241995754
Length: 320 Pages
Britons Through Negro Spectacles by ABC Merriman-Labor
A riotous, witty travelogue documenting the authors' experiences in Britain in the early 1900s, from an African perspective.
ISBN: 9780241559741
Length: 192 Pages
A Black Boy at Eton by Dillibe Onyeama
A powerful insider expose on the inherent, systemic racism present at Eton in the 1960s from one the first black students to attend.
ISBN: 9780241993811
Length: 272 Pages
My Fathers’ Daughter by Hannah Azieb-Pool
A shattering portrayal of family, guilt and unshakable bonds as a family's deepest secrets explosively unravel.
ISBN: 9780241996065
Length: 288 Pages
Sugar and Slate by Charlotte Williams
A powerful, radiant memoir from writer and academic Charlotte Williams exploring the intertwined history of Wales, Africa and the Caribbean
ISBN: 9780241999530
Length: 304 Pages
Dat's Love by Leonora Brito
Leonora Brito was a writer of exceptional stories. In Dat's Love, she soaks up the sights, sounds and colours of Cardiff to boldly explore race and history.
ISBN: 9780241999516
Length: 192 Pages
