The Strangers

byEkow Eshun

Five Extraordinary Black Men and the Worlds That Made Them

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Ira Aldridge: trailblazing Shakespearean actor, playwright, abolitionist, acclaimed and feted across nineteenth century Europe.

Matthew Henson: the first man ever to reach the North Pole, after eighteen years of successive attempts.

Frantz Fanon: revolutionary psychologist and political philosopher, a forefather of modern post-colonial theory.

Malcolm X: firebrand leader in the American civil rights movement, an icon in the fight for racial justice.

Justin Fashanu: gifted sportsman and notorious showman, the first professional footballer in the world to come out publicly as gay.

What do these five men, separated by centuries and continents, have in common? The Strangers tells their stories one by one: as pioneers who made history in their fields, and as sensitive, often solitary individuals moving through a hostile world. And it locates them within the vibrant, restless, richly detailed landscape of Black art, culture, history and politics over the past several centuries.
A generous gift . . .The author inhabits the perspective of five figures, from Malcolm X to footballer Justin Fashanu, in this lyrical account of their lives, a thrilling affront to the archives that exclude them . . . Each chapter is absorbing, no matter how much you already know about each person
Observer

About Ekow Eshun

Ekow Eshun is a writer, curator and broadcaster. He is author of the memoir Black Gold of the Sun, nominated for the Orwell Prize for its exploration of race and identity, and The Strangers, longlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize. Hailed by the Guardian as ‘a cultural polymath’, he was the first Black editor of a major magazine in the UK and went on to become the first Black director of a leading British arts institution. He has created documentaries for BBC TV and radio and his writing appears in publications including the Guardian, The New York Times and Financial Times.

Described by Vogue as ‘the most inspired – and inspiring – curator in Britain’, Ekow Eshun has curated critically acclaimed exhibitions internationally, working with venues including the Hayward Gallery and National Portrait Gallery in London, as well as museums and galleries in Asia, Africa and the United States. He is Chairman of the Fourth Plinth, overseeing Britain’s foremost public art programme. He lives in London.
Details
  • Imprint: Hamish Hamilton
  • ISBN: 9780241472026
  • Length: 400 pages
  • Dimensions: 241mm x 38mm x 161mm
  • Weight: 606g
  • Price: £20.00
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