Calypso in London by Sam Selvon


Calypso in London
Title : Calypso in London
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 0241630878
ISBN-10 : 9780241630877
Language : English
Format Type : Hardcover
Number of Pages : 160
Publication : Published May 25, 2023

Introducing Little Clothbound irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith.Celebrating the range and diversity of Penguin Classics, they take us from snowy Japan to springtime Vienna, from haunted New England to a sun-drenched Mediterranean island, and from a game of chess on the ocean to a love story on the moon. Beautifully designed and printed, these collectible editions are bound in colourful, tactile cloth and stamped with foil.Sam Selvon is now widely considered to be one of the greatest chroniclers of the West Indian emigrant experience. His evocation of voice, of place, of longing, defined for many the experience of a generation. Describing life in the Caribbean and day-to-day adventures in London, this collection features many his most acclaimed stories, including 'The Village Washer', 'A Drink of Water' and 'The Cricket Match'.

Calypso in London Reviews

  • James

    One morning I am coming into the city by the 287 night bus from Streatham. It is after one o'clock; I have been stranded again after seeing my girl home. When we get to Westminster bridge the sky is marvellously clear with a few stray patches of beautiful cloud among which stars sparkle. The moon stands over Waterloo bridge, above the Houses of Parliament sharply outlined, and it throws gold on the waters of the Thames. The Embankment is quiet, only a few people loiter around the public convenience near to Charing Cross underground which is open all night. A man sleeps on a bench. His head is resting under headlines: Suez Deadlock.

    Really good.

  • LJ

    Beautiful book of stories, ballads, calypsos. Sam Selvon's prose is, as always, engaging and riveting.

    The last story, My Girl And The City, particularly stood out, with a different tone of voice and perspective that served well for the finale.

    But I loved it because I thought a section of it could actually beat out my favourite prose passage of all time, from 1984, which is something I have never thought since I first read 1984 five years ago!

    My other favourites from this: Holiday in Five Rivers, The Village Washer, Gussy and the Boss

  • Neil Challis

    Originally written in 1957 a series of short stories beginning about life in Trinidad and then moving to London where Selvon moved as part of the early West Indian influx known as the 'Windrush Generation'. Not easy to read at first as the dialect style takes so getting used to but gets easier the more you read.Gives you a little insight into the challenges andthe way lives changed for the West Indian community in England (the weather is mentioned a lot in the last story)