Some Kind of Black

'Has the rare, incandescent energy of a story that’s never been told’ - GQ MagazineWinner of the 1995 Saga Prize A Betty Trask Award The Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award The Writers Guild’s New Writer of the Year Award Streetsmart Dele, born in London to African parents, wins a place at Oxford University. On graduation he returns to the streets of Tottenham where he grew up. On a cusp between a world of white privilege and the reality of immigrant life in London he navigates the city, encountering race politics, riots and police violence. Dele hovers between cultures – most at home on the streets and estates of the city he is still bound by the rules and strict African mores of his parents, who adhere to the culture of their homeland. He dallies with girls, both black and white, but it is his close relationship with his sister Dappo, who suffers from sickle cell anaemia, which underpins the story. A coming of age story set amongst the African diaspora this is a brilliant debut from Diran Adebayo and breaks new literary ground as one of the first novels to articulate a British-born African perspective. It remains as relevant today as when it was originally published.Praise from Some Kind of Black:‘Adebayo has plenty of talent and his finger firmly on the pulse of a community’ - The Sunday Times 'A reinvention of the London novel' - Arena Magazine‘Gloriously capable and confident. Some Kind of Black is thoughtful, witty and moving … I urge you to read it’ - The Times ‘Funny, smart and attractively tough’ – Julie Myerson ‘It is difficult to discuss the book without resorting to superlatives. It deploys merciless laughter and humane understanding … a tremendously rich, subtle and nuanced read’ - Scotsman ‘Strikingly innovative … has powerful resonance for us all, black and white’ - Independent An upbeat update on London’s cultural climate, written in a combination of stylish prose and street vernacular’ - Big Issue ‘Sharply written and exceptional’ - Daily Telegraph Diran Adebayo was born in London in 1968, to Nigerian parents. After the success of his first novel, Some Kind of Black, he became one of the leading commentators on Race in Britain, as well as writing on arts and sports for newspapers such as The Guardian, The Independent and New Statesman magazine. In 2002 The Times Literary Supplement named him as one of the Best Young British Novelists and in 2017, he was one of 20 people to have their portraits taken by Oxford University for permanent display, as part of its "Diversifying Portraiture" initiative, in recognition of his 'achievements and contributions to the University and to the literary world. In 2006 he was elected a member of the Royal Society of Literature. He published his second novel, My Once Upon a Time in 2006, to great acclaim. He lives in London and now teaches creative writing at Kingston University. Read more