The hundreds of people who arrived on British shores on the HMS Empire Windrush were part of a generation who transformed British society. It’s a rich legacy that is still playing out – especially in the culture created by their children and grandchildren.
For the author Colin Grant, his heritage came to life in the storytelling of his mother and in his entertaining Caribbean neighbours, with their distinctive nicknames from Tidy Boots to Clock. And he has channelled his fascination into his writing – from his memoir to biographies of historical figures such as Marcus Garvey.
The writer Patrice Lawrence says growing up reading books by Enid Blyton or the Dr Doolittle series meant she never believed she could be a writer – but storytelling came naturally under the tutelage of family members such as her Aunty Baby, the repository of family myths and legends. Now she includes them in the books she creates for children and young people.
The publisher Sharmaine Lovegrove founded Dialogue Books, which focuses on unheard voices, and grew up aware of the works of writers such as Linton Kwesi Johnson. “I’ve just never known a world without kind of an abundance of brilliance of Black, powerful storytelling,” she says.
The three talk to Nosheen Iqbal about how the experiences of the Windrush generation have transformed their own writing – but also British culture. And what the anniversary of their arrival means to them.
Books included in the discussion of this episode include:
- David Olusoga – Black and British: A Forgotten History.
- Gerald McDermott – Anansi the Spider: A tale from the Ashanti.
- Hannah Lowe – Chick.
- Jacqueline Crooks – Fire Rush.
- Jared Diamond – Guns, Germs and Steel.
- Jay Bernard – Surge.
- Malorie Blackman – Pig-Heart Boy.
- Maya Angelou – I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
- Paul Mendez – Rainbow Milk.
- Roger Robinson – A Portable Paradise.
- Toni Morrison – Sula.
- Trish Cooke and Helen Oxenbury – So Much.
You can read more about the books that shape the Black British experience here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jun/17/windrush-at-75-books-that-shaped-the-black-british-experience
Photograph: Daily Herald Archive/SSPL/Getty Images
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