The Lonely Londoners (Longman Caribbean Writer Series) [Paperback]

Samuel Selvon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 11, 1989 | ISBN-10: 0582642647 | ISBN-13: 978-0582642645

The Lonely Londoners from the brilliant, sharp, witty pen of Sam Selvon, this is a classic award-winning novel of immigrant life in London in the 1950s.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is Selvon's best work. It explores the lives of a group of West Indians mainly Trinidadians and Jamaicans who leave the Caribbean to live in London. They came looking for a better life and what they found was bitter coldness both from the unforgivable winters and the cold prejudice of the people they encounter. They experience hunger and hopelessness, discrimination for jobs and on the job but they are able to survive. It tells much about the spirit of the West Indian abroad. I would recommend this book to anyone who both want to learn more about West Indian people and who enjoy a good laugh. It is Selvon at his best.

About the Author

Samuel Selvon (the unusual Indian surname appears to be Tamil) was born on 20 May 1923, into a middle-class Presbyterian family in San Fernando, the southern city of Trinidad. His half-Scottish, half-Indian mother looked after the home, while his Madrasee father tended his dry-goods store in San Fernando. His mother, who spoke Hindi and English fluently, encouraged her children to be similarly bilingual, but Sam confesses that he eventually managed only a few swear words and common phrases. Young Sam attended two Canadian Mission primary schools. One in San Fernando, and the other nearby. He remembers fondly that at the latter, Grant C M School, he received warm encouragement in English Composition from a particular teacher. Sam moved on to Naparima College in San Fernando, another Canadian Mission institute, and during an undistinguished academic career, developed an abiding love for his two favourite subjects, English Language and English Literature. It was at Naparima College that he became a voracious reader. In 1944, Selvon won a short story contest with a piece submitted to The Naval Bulletin, a publication of RNVR. He wrote both prose and poetry, often discarding what he wrote. One poem, however, was kept, and was later broadcast on the BBC radio programme 'Caribbean Voices' while Selvon was still in Trinidad. From RNVR, at the end of World War II, Selvon became a wireless operator with the Port of Spain Gazette, and shortly after, moved to the rival Trinidad Guardian. He spent three years with the newspaper, and left as sub-editor of special features. Feeling that Trinidad was stifling his growing interest in creative writing, Selvon left for England in March, 1950, aboard the same ship as George Lamming, whom he had met before but did not know well. In London, Selvon, unable to secure a position in journalism, freelanced, publishing articles on various subjects. He later became a clerk in the Indian Government Civil Service Department in London. Needing a change, after twenty-eight years, Selvon left England in 1978 for Canada, where he resides. At present, he is writer-in-residence at the University of Calgary, teaching and working on a new novel, which seeks to explore the rich intricacies of the Trinidadian psyche.

Product Details

• Paperback: 141 pages
• Publisher: Longman (January 11, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0582642647
• ISBN-13: 978-0582642645
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,336 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A humourous story of London's 1950s immigrants, June 28, 2002

By 

D. M. Farmbrough "Dave Farmbrough" (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lonely Londoners (Longman Caribbean Writer Series) (Paperback)

The humour in this book makes it palatable. Otherwise the straitened circumstances of the characters would make you cry. The title sums it up. The post-war period in London was one of high immigration, with people re-settling due to the war, and due to the economic demands of Britain's economy for migrant workers. This is the story of a few of those migrants, concentrating mainly on the West Indian community, but also featuring a Polish woman. The story shows the daily lives of its characters, their difficulties in finding accommodation, the racism and fear they faced, and the rare examples of friendship from the quasi-indigenous population. The book is an easy read, and short enough never to become tiresome. Selvon occasionally sacrifices narrative consistency to make a few points, and this detracted slightly from my enjoyment of the book. On the whole, though, this comes highly recommended.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must read" for all lovers of West Indian literary works., September 22, 2000

By 

Hazel Saigo-Valentine (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lonely Londoners (Longman Caribbean Writer Series) (Paperback)

"The Lonely Londoners" is my favorite book of all time! With this purchase, I would have bought a total of five(5) copies. The other four however, have gone to the "loaned-a-friend-and-never-got-it-back" graveyard in the sky.

Selvon's account of West Indian immigramt life in 50's/60's London is riveting, poignant and tearfully funny. With realism and timeliness, he captures the unique brotherhood of survival that was the lifeblood of the network that sprung up in Brixton.

Wait until you meet "Tall Boy" as he greets his family at the boat train at Paddington. "All of we come...!"

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A bawdy book, May 31, 2009

By 

Lyndon Baptiste (Piarco, Trinidad) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lonely Londoners (Longman Caribbean Writer Series) (Paperback)

Selvon's Lonely Londoners is second to none.

The author is intimitate with life, his characters, and immerses the reader in the "blackness" of a white, foggy London, facing Moses, Sir Galahad, Big City, Tanty and Cap.

This book, by a Trinidadian, is definitely the best I have ever read!

Lyndon Baptiste

Author of Boy Days