You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
Picador signs first prose collection by Linton Kwesi Johnson
Picador has signed Time Come, the first prose selection by poet Linton Kwesi Johnson.
World rights were acquired by editor Salma Begum from Suresh Ariaratnam at Sprung Sultan. Time Come: Selected Prose will be published in hardback in April 2023.
The publication brings together his book and record reviews published in newspapers and magazines, lectures, obituaries and speeches, spanning five decades.
Its synopsis states: “Ranging from Johnson’s reflections on the place of music in Caribbean and Black British culture as a creative, defiant response to oppression, to his penetrating appraisals of music, film and literature, and including warm tributes paid to the activists and artists who inspired him to find his own voice as a poet and compelled him to contribute to the struggle for racial equality and social justice, Time Come is a panorama of an exceptional life. Published as part of LKJ’s 70th birthday celebrations, and with an introduction by Paul Gilroy, it underscores his enduring importance in Britain’s cultural history and is a timely reminder of his brilliant, unparalleled legacy.”
Andrea Henry, editorial director at Picador, said: “Many of Linton’s non-fiction writings – for publications ranging from the Guardian and the TLS to Melody Maker and Race Today – are no longer readily available. They are brought together here in a carefully curated selection that builds into a narrative that speaks to the journey of identity and belonging that Britain’s Black population is still on. What’s astonishing is that LKJ’s thinking around racial equality and social justice remains as pertinent in 2022 as it was in the 1970s when he first emerged as a revolutionary ‘reggae poet’. He is now firmly regarded as an iconic figure in British culture and we are delighted and honoured to be working with him.”
Ariaratnam added: “Time Come is a witness to a historic moment as it occurred and a lens through which to better understand our here and now. Unflinching in his gaze, Linton Kwesi Johnson’s words resonate from the page, providing both succour and stimulus in the ongoing struggle for racial equity and justice.”
