The Lonely Londoners is a 1956 novel written by Sam Selvon. Selvon was born in 1923 on the small Caribbean island of Trinidad, which at the time was a British colony. In 1950 he relocated to London, a move which was made possible by the British Nationality Act of 1948. This parliamentary act granted British citizenship to everyone living in the United Kingdom and its colonies. The act therefore also enabled colonials like Selvon to pursue new opportunities at the center of the British Empire. The Lonely Londoners follows a series of such West Indian immigrants as they struggle to eke out a living in post-World War II London. The novel does not have a traditional plot, but rather explores the daily lives of several characters. One major character is Moses Aloetta, a Trinidadian who has little to show for the ten years he’s spent in the British capital, and who grows more homesick with each passing year. The Lonely Londoners remains important for its powerful portrayal of working-class life among London’s burgeoning post-war immigrant communities. In addition to its social commentary, Selvon’s novel is also remarkable for its innovative use of modernist narrative techniques and creolized English.

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The Lonely Londoners (Longman Caribbean Writer Series) / Edition 1

 
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