Author: Paterson Joseph
Publisher: Dialogue Books
Hardback
Staff Pick! So says...
A rollicking read that’s also an eye-opener on English history and a new view on the palaces and alleyways of Georgian London, traversed by the unique figure of Charles Ignatius Sancho, actor, composer, musician, freedman, husband, father, and self-made man. This fabulous novel has all the dynamic power and full-bodied excellence of Paterson Joseph’s incredible work as an actor: Sancho leaps off the page, vivid in his self-confidence and self-delusion, his deep love and determination. If you’re in or visiting London, you’ll be incredibly tempted to set off for an Ignatius Sancho walk or walks, with Joseph’s/Sancho’s voice in your ear, bringing the city to life in all its complexities, from a dancehall to slavers to markets to grand theatre, as Sancho traverses spaces and classes, all the while acutely observing the coloniser. It really does feel like reading a secret diary (*full* of gossip), sprung fresh from the archive to redress the exclusion of Black Britons from literary history. An absolute treat.