The Bodley Head triumphs in 15-way auction for Bakare’s untold Black British stories

The Bodley Head has snapped up We Were There: The Untold Black British Stories That Shaped Our Country by Lanre Bakare, the Guardian’s arts and culture correspondent, in a 15-publisher auction.

Stuart Williams, publishing director, acquired UK and commonwealth rights from Matt Turner at Rogers, Coleridge & White, for publication in 2024. 

Bakare said he was inspired to write the book after writing a piece for the Guardian about the brilliance of Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” and the dearth of similar projects that show Blackness outside London. 

The publisher described the work as “counterintuitive, joyful and confronting”, highlighting how the stories in We Were There “reflect the complicated, interwoven impacts Black Britons have had on the country, outside the capital”. 

Bakare, who in 2020 co-wrote a book with Ovie Soko entitled You Are Dope (Quadrille Publishing), said: “We Were There tackles an issue I’ve been thinking about my whole life. This is my chance to try to open a conversation about what it truly means to be Black and British – using the art that was created during one of the most restive times in the modern era as the entry point. 

“I’m delighted that We Were There has found a home at Bodley Head. It’s a place where challenging non-fiction thrives. Special thanks to my agent Matt Turner who has championed me and my work tirelessly.”

Williams added: “We Were There is a powerful, original and simple idea, like all the best ones. But that simplicity reveals a rich, layered story about creativity and activism and politics. Here’s a landmark book that will deliver a reckoning with our country’s past at home, and which shows Black British life to be more complex and plural than we’ve been led to believe. We’re very proud to welcome Lanre to the list.”