Fiction

The Lonely Londoners

The Lonely Londoners

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  • Create Date：2021-07-05 08:51:51
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sam Selvon
  • ISBN：0241504120
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Summary

The Lonely Londoners， an unforgettable account of immigrant experience and one of the great twentieth-century London novels， now in in a stunning Clothbound Classics edition。

At Waterloo Station， hopeful new arrivals from the West Indies step off the boat train， ready to start afresh in 1950s London。 There， homesick Moses Aloetta， who has already lived in the city for years， meets Henry 'Sir Galahad' Oliver and shows him the ropes。 In this strange， cold and foggy city where the natives can be less than friendly at the sight of a black face， has Galahad met his Waterloo？ But the irrepressible newcomer cannot be cast down。 He and all the other lonely new Londoners - from shiftless Cap to Tolroy， whose family has descended on him from Jamaica - must try to create a new life for themselves。 As pessimistic 'old veteran' Moses watches their attempts， they gradually learn to survive and come to love the heady excitements of London。

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Reviews

Grace ，

ExcellentSuch a good writer， it breezes along with anecdote after anecdote。 Poignant and funny with amazingly upbeat characters。 Portrays how poor people of colour had all the problems of poor white people but even worse through prejudice and isolation 。

Mrs D。 J。 Knapp ，

Funny and highly informative

Ella ，

As a reader you feel an intimate part of the story as you the narrative is Caribbean vernacular and the setting a grim backdrop of London in the 50s。 Selvon portrays the harsh realities of the challenges faced but also the beauty of the solidarity with one’s kinsmen and how London becomes their home。

sofiaracelli 💜 ，

"Galahad watch the colour of his hand， and talk to it， saying， “Colour， is you that causing all this， you know。 Why the hell you can’t be blue， or red or green， if you can’t be white？ You know is you that cause a lot of misery in the world。 Is not me， you know， is you！ I ain’t do anything to infuriate the people and them， is you！ Look at you， you so black and innocent， and this time so you causing misery all over the world！"I am so glad I read this book， it lead me to a new literary pathway with "Galahad watch the colour of his hand， and talk to it， saying， “Colour， is you that causing all this， you know。 Why the hell you can’t be blue， or red or green， if you can’t be white？ You know is you that cause a lot of misery in the world。 Is not me， you know， is you！ I ain’t do anything to infuriate the people and them， is you！ Look at you， you so black and innocent， and this time so you causing misery all over the world！"I am so glad I read this book， it lead me to a new literary pathway with a lot of history， critical wordplay and emotional reflections。 I will be recomending this reading！ 。。。more

Annso ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Loved the sense of place it invoked and the characters， really enjoyed the style of writing， just wonderful storty-telling。 The only thing that felt a little disappointing is that the beginning of the novel made me think it would mostly be focused on Moses and Galahad and have a more linear plot。 It has a lot of lovely digressions， but I kept thinking that there will be a plot-line at some point。

Babita ，

Selvon's diasporic account of the Windrush population who migrated from the West Indies to London from the late 1940s till the 1960s to boost Britain's economy is portrayed in this novel in its most raw state。 Although the syntax and grammar was unorthodox， Selvon has written the narrative in the style of stream of consciousness， just as Virginia Woolf has done in her Mrs。 Dalloway， as they provide contrasting depiction of London life。 Selvon conveys societal oppression， financial desperation an Selvon's diasporic account of the Windrush population who migrated from the West Indies to London from the late 1940s till the 1960s to boost Britain's economy is portrayed in this novel in its most raw state。 Although the syntax and grammar was unorthodox， Selvon has written the narrative in the style of stream of consciousness， just as Virginia Woolf has done in her Mrs。 Dalloway， as they provide contrasting depiction of London life。 Selvon conveys societal oppression， financial desperation and mental suffering caused by the financial inequality between the migrants and the natives。 Whereas， Woolf only focuses on the lavish， superficial， high society that surprisingly does not include coloured people as if they didn't exist。 Selvon does not hesitate to expose the hardships of living in poverty in London， particularly from diasporic perspectives。 The most intriguing character I found was Moses。 He dreams to go home， Trinidad， and encourages his friends to return， but he finds that most of them still purse the futile dream of staying in London and succeeding。 There is always a feeling of loneliness， homesickness and alienation。 It's true when he mentions that foreigners often think 'the streets of London paved with gold so they coming by the boatload' （p。93）。 Though， when they arrive in the big city， it is nothing like that。 It's shocking to think that in spite of the rights that these diasporas gained after moving to London， they were left to fend for themselves to survive in the most unimaginable ways。 The theme of racism still lingers and at times made me angry about the misdemeanour and mistreatment of coloured people by white people who held racist ideologies only a few decades ago！ I had mixed feelings about this book， it was horribly upsetting at times， grim， unsettling and all of a sudden hilarious and then tragic， it's one of those books which you have to mentally prepare for。 All in all， Selvon has mastered to write in such a different and unique way that you'd think it's harder to write without following the rules of writing in English standard， but that's exactly what he wants to reflect， that the general image of London seems very much English to foreigners， but in fact it is the opposite。 Highly recommendable！ 。。。more

Jasmine Lane ，

The similarities between this novella and other literature from the diaspora is heartbreaking。 I didn't 'know' what Moses was dealing with， but I knew。 The same issues of Isolation， assimilation， deciding who and how you're going to be in this new place where technically you belong but not not really。 All told in a dialect because 'standard English just didn't express how he wanted it to feel'。 Loved this。 4。5/5 The similarities between this novella and other literature from the diaspora is heartbreaking。 I didn't 'know' what Moses was dealing with， but I knew。 The same issues of Isolation， assimilation， deciding who and how you're going to be in this new place where technically you belong but not not really。 All told in a dialect because 'standard English just didn't express how he wanted it to feel'。 Loved this。 4。5/5 。。。more

Momo ，

3。5 stars

Ratko ，

The Lonely Londoners прича је о досељеницима са разних карипских острва у „центар света“ – Лондон。 Главни лик и наратор је Мозес （није случајно одабрано то име – Мојсије）， досељеник са Тринидада који је у Лондону већ десетак година и који је， силом прилика， први са којим се скоро сви карипски имигранти сусрећу。И као што је Мојсије извео Јевреје из Египта и повео их у Ханаан， тако ће и овај， савремени Мојсије， дочекивати своје сународнике на железничкој станици и уводити их у жељно ишчекивану Обе The Lonely Londoners прича је о досељеницима са разних карипских острва у „центар света“ – Лондон。 Главни лик и наратор је Мозес （није случајно одабрано то име – Мојсије）， досељеник са Тринидада који је у Лондону већ десетак година и који је， силом прилика， први са којим се скоро сви карипски имигранти сусрећу。И као што је Мојсије извео Јевреје из Египта и повео их у Ханаан， тако ће и овај， савремени Мојсије， дочекивати своје сународнике на железничкој станици и уводити их у жељно ишчекивану Обећану земљу， помажући им да се пријаве на биро и снађу за почетак。Ипак， ова Обећана земља， испоставиће се， није баш толико обећана као она библијска。 Досељеници добијају најслабије плаћена занимања， физички најзахтевнија или само она са ноћним сменама， живе по подрумима и таванима， у далеким предграђима。 Ово је свет лондонске имигрантске маргине педесетих година ХХ века， свет （силом прилика посталих） ситних криминалаца， проститутки， алкохоличара и наркомана у настајању。 Сви они се крећу у једном затвореном друштву， на најнижим социјалним лествицама， једва спајају крај с крајем и животаре， без перспективе и могућности за напредак у социјалној хијерархији。Нема овде неке кохерентне радње。 Испричано је пар исцепканих секвенци из живота неколико миграната са Кариба， али и то је суштински довољно да се спозна једноличност и бесциљност таквог живота， који води даље само у пропаст и болест， без толико жељеног остварења сна да се （за）ради и помогне породици која је остала на Карибима。Оно што ми је мало кварило утисак јесте то што је цео роман написан „исквареним“， дијалекатским， енглеским， односно онаквим енглеским какав се говори на Карибима。 То не би био проблем да је то случај само са реченицама које изговарају ликови или преношењем њихових унутрашњих монолога или да је све ово један исповедни монолог。 Овако ми је било исфорсирано。 。。。more

Peta ，

Sam Selvon unpack a lot in this short book。 Review here ->https://youtu。be/_rwwKkLCIzA Sam Selvon unpack a lot in this short book。 Review here ->https://youtu。be/_rwwKkLCIzA 。。。more

Liu Zhang ，

3。5 starsPretty good and relaxed flow to tell the stories of the immigrants （Windrush generation） in UK。 Although none of the characters are deeply discussed， which made the book feel quite light。 There is no chapters， each stories are like dairy entries in some sense。 Nevertheless time flies by as the little stories are told in the book， and as a non-native reader， some feelings are mutual。P。S。1: If there is some footnote for the slangs used during those time， it will make it much easier to rea 3。5 starsPretty good and relaxed flow to tell the stories of the immigrants （Windrush generation） in UK。 Although none of the characters are deeply discussed， which made the book feel quite light。 There is no chapters， each stories are like dairy entries in some sense。 Nevertheless time flies by as the little stories are told in the book， and as a non-native reader， some feelings are mutual。P。S。1: If there is some footnote for the slangs used during those time， it will make it much easier to read。 P。S。2: What happened to p92-101？ One single continuous paragraph without a single punctuation， no commas， no full stops， some meta-writing method？ 。。。more

Laura ，

4。5/5Enjoyed this a bit more on a second read because I think the first time round I was expecting something with more of a traditional plot - this is really a series of vignettes about different immigrants in London rather than a single story。 It's less something with a beginning middle and end than it is a snapshot of a specific community， which existed before the opening lines and is going to continue after the closing ones。 4。5/5Enjoyed this a bit more on a second read because I think the first time round I was expecting something with more of a traditional plot - this is really a series of vignettes about different immigrants in London rather than a single story。 It's less something with a beginning middle and end than it is a snapshot of a specific community， which existed before the opening lines and is going to continue after the closing ones。 。。。more

Kiprop Kimutai ，

White Teeth has to be in conversation with this book， what it means to immigrate， and make a life， in London。 The contours of the lives of these people: Moses， Cap， Galahad， Tolroy， Tanty， Lewis and Daniel， were mapped and articulated， with humor and with truth。 I enjoyed reading about Cap， the Nigerian immigrant， who just had a way of making through each day， even when he seemed to show no effort。 My most moving scene was Galahad going to the park to hunt a pigeon， which he takes home， and clai White Teeth has to be in conversation with this book， what it means to immigrate， and make a life， in London。 The contours of the lives of these people: Moses， Cap， Galahad， Tolroy， Tanty， Lewis and Daniel， were mapped and articulated， with humor and with truth。 I enjoyed reading about Cap， the Nigerian immigrant， who just had a way of making through each day， even when he seemed to show no effort。 My most moving scene was Galahad going to the park to hunt a pigeon， which he takes home， and claims to Moses， that he bought the bird。 I will delightfully read this book again。 。。。more

Ruth ，

I didn't enjoy this book very much。 Although it had some interesting insights into what it was like for immigrants from West Indies looking for a new lives in London in the 1950s， I found it was a bit slow and dull in places。 I didn't enjoy this book very much。 Although it had some interesting insights into what it was like for immigrants from West Indies looking for a new lives in London in the 1950s， I found it was a bit slow and dull in places。 。。。more

Elizabeth Leather ，

One of my new all time favourite books。 Absolutely blown away by it。

Pgchuis ，

This was surprisingly easy to read， despite the Caribbean dialect and grammar， even the eight or so pages with no punctuation at all。 It was amusing in places （I enjoyed the pigeon snatch and the moment when Tolroy's entire family got off the boat train particularly）， but also sad and hopeless at the same time。 This was surprisingly easy to read， despite the Caribbean dialect and grammar， even the eight or so pages with no punctuation at all。 It was amusing in places （I enjoyed the pigeon snatch and the moment when Tolroy's entire family got off the boat train particularly）， but also sad and hopeless at the same time。 。。。more

Seyi ，

A refreshingly different read for me that captured west Indian and African immigrants existing in 1950's London。 A refreshingly different read for me that captured west Indian and African immigrants existing in 1950's London。 。。。more

Sophie ，

I really enjoyed this novel。 The perspective of London through the eyes of immigrants from the West Indies painted the capitol in a very different light。 The use of the creole dialect also added another dimension to the text and presented the characters through a more realistic setting。 A subtle but thought-provoking account of 1950s London from a very unique perception。

Bookish Hound ，

This book is truly brilliant at showing the diversity of humanity during a time of recovery。 I don't think that I could write a review that could do this book justice- it is eye-opening and has definitely taught me a few things。 Such a vital book- go and read it！ This book is truly brilliant at showing the diversity of humanity during a time of recovery。 I don't think that I could write a review that could do this book justice- it is eye-opening and has definitely taught me a few things。 Such a vital book- go and read it！ 。。。more

chains ，

3。8 stars ****

Iceteapapi ，

While the writing style is definitely not everybody's cup of tea， it's still a great novel in my opinion。The only complaint might be that there are many， many characters who get introduced in a few sentences， just to never really appear again in a meaningful way。Deeply depressing at times， might give you a glimpse of what constant and subtle racism does to the people who have to suffer from it。 While the writing style is definitely not everybody's cup of tea， it's still a great novel in my opinion。The only complaint might be that there are many， many characters who get introduced in a few sentences， just to never really appear again in a meaningful way。Deeply depressing at times， might give you a glimpse of what constant and subtle racism does to the people who have to suffer from it。 。。。more

Katy ，

I know it's of its time but I found it hard to get over the sexism。 Nevertheless， it is an undeniably fascinating book。 I know it's of its time but I found it hard to get over the sexism。 Nevertheless， it is an undeniably fascinating book。 。。。more

megs ，

*3。5 stars

Diana Braxton ，

I was intensely uncomfortable with the blatant sexism and domestic abuse which was part of this narrative， but appreciate the central story。

Charlotte ，

Yay， first uni read of the year。 This is the first （of 4， ambitious instructor who） books I have to read for my "Migration and the City" seminar I'm attending this semester。 Ah。 Hm。 I did not really enjoy this xD。 The themes this book mentions and the way it’s written （creole English！） is certainly interesting， but I’d have 100% DNFed it if I wasn’t forced to read it for uni。 lol。 I think it captures migrant voices really well， though。 Notions of racism， belonging， romance （only of the misogynis Yay， first uni read of the year。 This is the first （of 4， ambitious instructor who） books I have to read for my "Migration and the City" seminar I'm attending this semester。 Ah。 Hm。 I did not really enjoy this xD。 The themes this book mentions and the way it’s written （creole English！） is certainly interesting， but I’d have 100% DNFed it if I wasn’t forced to read it for uni。 lol。 I think it captures migrant voices really well， though。 Notions of racism， belonging， romance （only of the misogynistic kind， it's the 1950s after all）， community， and social class all play a central role here。 I’m not going to go on a long tangent here bc I will probably dissect this in the seminar。 BUT in conclusion: not a really an enjoyable read for me （sorry！） but still interesting academically。 。。。more

Zoë ，

4。5 starsThis is a deeply lonely book。 I don't usually like to rate books I read for university but this was excellent and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to recommend this。 4。5 starsThis is a deeply lonely book。 I don't usually like to rate books I read for university but this was excellent and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to recommend this。 。。。more

Basil ，

4。5 stars and the best last page I think I have ever read

Helen （pagesandpeaches） ，

*3。5lovely narrative style！！ very atmospheric and the writing was really enjoyable to read！！ touched on a lot of different perspectives。 lots of sexism though。

Elif ，

This was hard to read in terms of style， but it made me think a lot。 English: https://elifthereader。com/books/the-l。。。Türkçe: https://kitaplikkedisi。com/kitaplar/t。。。 This was hard to read in terms of style， but it made me think a lot。 English: https://elifthereader。com/books/the-l。。。Türkçe: https://kitaplikkedisi。com/kitaplar/t。。。 。。。more

George ，

4。5 stars。 An interesting， thought provoking， entertaining， engaging short novel about new male West Indian immigrants in London in the 1950s。 The novel is about their experiences， focusing on their social life。 Most of the characters are of working class backgrounds who struggle to find well paying jobs。 Moses has been in London the longest， in all， about ten years。 Moses has been the first point of contact for most of these West Indian immigrants。 Moses meets them at the train station on their 4。5 stars。 An interesting， thought provoking， entertaining， engaging short novel about new male West Indian immigrants in London in the 1950s。 The novel is about their experiences， focusing on their social life。 Most of the characters are of working class backgrounds who struggle to find well paying jobs。 Moses has been in London the longest， in all， about ten years。 Moses has been the first point of contact for most of these West Indian immigrants。 Moses meets them at the train station on their arrival in London from the West Indies。 He helps them in finding work and accommodation。 He also aids them with the British bureaucracy in their first few days in London。 Over the years a few of the men have remained in contact with Moses。Moses learns about each of the characters experiences， with finding work and their relationships with women， black and white。 Each character is on his own in London and meets at Moses’ place on a Sunday morning to chat。 They talk of their experiences， in London and in the West Indies。 They feel a loss in leaving the West Indies and long to be back home in the West Indies， but they remain in London。The novel is written in a version of Trinidadian Creole。 There is an absence of black women in the book。 A very worthwhile， thought provoking read。Here is an example of the author’s writing style:“all these things happen in the blazing summer under trees in the park on the grass with the daffodils and tulips in full bloom and a sky so blue oh it does really be beautiful to hear the birds。。。。。and see the green leaves come back on the trees and in the night the world turn upside down and everyone hustling that is London oh Lord Galahad say when the sweetness of London get in him。。。and Moses sigh a long sigh like a man who live life and see nothing at all in it and who frighten as the years go by wondering what it is all about。”This book was first published in 1956。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Lonely Londoners

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Lonely Londoners&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Lonely Londoners&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0