An African in Imperial London : The Indomitable Life of A.B.C. Merriman-Labor

************************************************** WINNER 2019 High Plains Book Award for Nonfiction ************************************************** "Marvelously readable!" Corby Skinner, Yellowstone Public Radio. Learn the unforgettable story of a writer who used wit and humor to speak truth to power. When he moved to London In 1904, A.B.C. Merriman-Labor was determined to fight for social justice as he proved his talent on the world's greatest literary stage. His story offers a unique view of Edwardian London seen through African eyes and transports readers to an intriguing world of diversity, ingenuity, and struggle. This true story of creativity, passion, and resilience will move, shock, and inspire you. Written with great verve, An African in Imperial London is an enlightening account of what it meant to be black in the most powerful country in the world. Peter Stansky, Stanford University The moving and surprising story of A.B.C. Merriman-Labor. Edward Mendelson, Columbia University Elegantly written and meticulously researched for over seven years, this is an important addition to the history of Africans in Britain. Hakim Adi, University of Chichester A deep sense of humanity pervades this splendid biography. David Killingray, University of London A brilliant biography. Jacqueline Mulhallen, Counterfire.org In A World Dominated By The British Empire, At A Time When Many Europeans Considered Black People Inferior, African Writer A. B. C. Merriman-labor Claimed His Right To Describe The World As He Found It. During His Fifteen Years In London, He Looked At The Greatest City In The Greatest Empire The World Had Ever Known And Laughed. An African In Imperial London Is The First Biography Of This Extraordinary Man. It Describes The Tragic Spiral That Pulled Him Down The Social Ladder From Writer And Barrister To Munitions Worker, From Witty Observer Of The Social Order To Patient In A State-run Hospital For The Poor. Danell Jones Sketches A Vivid Portrait Of The Great Metropolis As It Writhed Its Way Into A New Century Of Appalling Social Inequity, World-transforming Inventions, And Unprecedented Demands For Civil Rights. This Cultural History, Told Through African Eyes, Provides Scholars With A Richly Researched Portrait Of A Black Life In Edwardian England,and Transports General Readers To An Intriguing World Of Diversity, Ingenuity, And Struggle.--provided By Publisher. Danell Jones. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 293-299) And Index. "In a world dominated by the British Empire, at a time when many Europeans considered black people inferior, African writer A.B.C. Merriman-Labor claimed his right to describe the world as he found it. During his fifteen years in London, he looked at the greatest city in the greatest empire the world had ever known and laughed. An African in Imperial London is the first biography of this extraordinary man. It describes the tragic spiral that pulled him down the social ladder from writer and barrister to munitions worker, from witty observer of the social order to patient in a state-run hospital for the poor. Danell Jones sketches a vivid portrait of the great metropolis as it writhed its way into a new century of appalling social inequity, world-transforming inventions, and unprecedented demands for civil rights. This cultural history, told through African eyes, provides scholars with a richly researched portrait of a black life in Edwardian England, and transports general readers to an intriguing world of diversity, ingenuity, and struggle."--Provided by publisher In a world dominated by the British Empire, and at a time when many Europeans considered black people inferior, Sierra Leonean writer A. B. C. Merriman-Labor claimed his right to describe the world as he found it. He looked at the Empire's great capital and laughed. In this first biography of Merriman-Labor, Danell Jones describes the tragic spiral that pulled him down the social ladder from writer and barrister to munitions worker, from witty observer of the social order to patient in a state-run hospital for the poor. In restoring this extraordinary man to the pantheon of African observers of colonialism, she opens a window onto racial attitudes in Edwardian London. An African in Imperial London is a rich portrait of a great metropolis, writhing its way into a new century of appalling social inequity, world-transforming inventions, and unprecedented demands for civil rights. A vivid biography of an African Edwardian chronicler of London, in a time of social upheaval.