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The Housing Lark
Battersby, the hero of Selvon's fifth novel, is a West Indian exile in London who encounters both hardships and amusing situations in his search for adequate and reasonably priced shelter. In Housing Lark Selvon explores the plight of the West Indian in the "Mother Country," and the exiles' interactions with English women, the British in general, and each other.
155 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
21 people are currently reading
855 people want to read
About the author
Sam Selvon
27 books155 followersSamuel Dickson Selvon was born in San Fernando in the south of Trinidad. His parents were East Indian: his father was a first-generation Christian immigrant from Madras and his mother's father was Scottish.He was educated at Naparima College, San Fernando, before leaving at the age of fifteen to work. He was a wireless operator with the Royal Naval Reserve from 1940 to 1945. Thereafter, he moved north to Port of Spain, and from 1945 to 1950, worked for the Trinidad Guardian as a reporter and for a time on its literary page. In this period, he began writing stories and descriptive pieces, mostly under a variety of pseudonyms such as Michael Wentworth, Esses, Ack-Ack, and Big Buffer. Selvon moved to London in the 1950s, and then in the late 1970s to Alberta, Canada, where he lived until his death from a heart attack on 16 April 1994 on a return trip to Trinidad.
Selvon is known for novels such as The Lonely Londoners (1956) and Moses Ascending (1975). His novel A Brighter Sun (1952), detailing the construction of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway in Trinidad through the eyes of young Indian worker Tiger, was a popular choice on the CXC English Literature syllabus for many years. Other notable works include Ways of Sunlight (1957), Turn Again Tiger (1958) and Those Who Eat the Cascadura (1972). During the 1970s and early 1980s, Selvon converted several of his novels and stories into radio scripts, broadcast by the BBC, which were collected in Eldorado West One (Peepal Tree Press, 1988) and Highway in the Sun (Peepal Tree Press, 1991).
After moving to Canada, Selvon found a job teaching creative writing as a visiting professor at the University of Victoria. When that job ended, he took a job as a janitor at the University of Calgary in Alberta for a few months, before becoming writer-in-residence there. He was largely ignored by the Canadian literary establishment, with his works receiving no reviews during his residency.
The Lonely Londoners, as with most of his later work, focuses on the immigration of West Indians to Britain in the 1950s and tells, mostly in anecdotal form, the daily experience of settlers from the Caribbean. Selvon also illustrates the panoply of different "cities" that are lived in London, as with any major city, due to class and racial boundaries. In many ways, his books are the precursors to works such as Some Kind of Black by Diran Adebayo, White Teeth by Zadie Smith and The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi. Selvon explained: "When I wrote the novel that became The Lonely Londoners, I tried to recapture a certain quality in West Indian everyday life. I had in store a number of wonderful anecdotes and could put them into focus, but I had difficulty starting the novel in straight English. The people I wanted to describe were entertaining people indeed, but I could not really move. At that stage, I had written the narrative in English and most of the dialogues in dialect. Then I started both narrative and dialogue in dialect and the novel just shot along."
Selvon's papers are now at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas, Austin, USA. These consist of holograph manuscripts, typescripts, book proofs, manuscript notebooks, and correspondence. Drafts for six of his eleven novels are present, along with supporting correspondence and items relating to his career.
Selvon is known for novels such as The Lonely Londoners (1956) and Moses Ascending (1975). His novel A Brighter Sun (1952), detailing the construction of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway in Trinidad through the eyes of young Indian worker Tiger, was a popular choice on the CXC English Literature syllabus for many years. Other notable works include Ways of Sunlight (1957), Turn Again Tiger (1958) and Those Who Eat the Cascadura (1972). During the 1970s and early 1980s, Selvon converted several of his novels and stories into radio scripts, broadcast by the BBC, which were collected in Eldorado West One (Peepal Tree Press, 1988) and Highway in the Sun (Peepal Tree Press, 1991).
After moving to Canada, Selvon found a job teaching creative writing as a visiting professor at the University of Victoria. When that job ended, he took a job as a janitor at the University of Calgary in Alberta for a few months, before becoming writer-in-residence there. He was largely ignored by the Canadian literary establishment, with his works receiving no reviews during his residency.
The Lonely Londoners, as with most of his later work, focuses on the immigration of West Indians to Britain in the 1950s and tells, mostly in anecdotal form, the daily experience of settlers from the Caribbean. Selvon also illustrates the panoply of different "cities" that are lived in London, as with any major city, due to class and racial boundaries. In many ways, his books are the precursors to works such as Some Kind of Black by Diran Adebayo, White Teeth by Zadie Smith and The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi. Selvon explained: "When I wrote the novel that became The Lonely Londoners, I tried to recapture a certain quality in West Indian everyday life. I had in store a number of wonderful anecdotes and could put them into focus, but I had difficulty starting the novel in straight English. The people I wanted to describe were entertaining people indeed, but I could not really move. At that stage, I had written the narrative in English and most of the dialogues in dialect. Then I started both narrative and dialogue in dialect and the novel just shot along."
Selvon's papers are now at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas, Austin, USA. These consist of holograph manuscripts, typescripts, book proofs, manuscript notebooks, and correspondence. Drafts for six of his eleven novels are present, along with supporting correspondence and items relating to his career.
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October 21, 2021
First published in 1965, The Housing Lark is a quick witted and spirited short read with a serious undertone.
The narrator does a great job at making each unique character come alive.
The narrator does a great job at making each unique character come alive.
October 7, 2020
London house prices are notoriously expensive. Many young professionals today have little hope of getting onto the property ladder without outside assistance. So it's fascinating to read Sam Selvon's novel set in the 1960s about of group of working class individuals of Caribbean descent who are fed up with their cramped, crumbling rented rooms in Brixton and hatch an ambitious plan to pool their money together and buy a house of their own. It's a good idea but this particular group of men struggle to concentrate and cooperate given their propensity for drinking, smoking and chasing women (or “birds” as they're often called in the novel.) They also often fail to support each other at crucial moments such as when one group member lands in jail for a crime he didn't commit. Selvon dramatises this tension well while creating a story that is so funny and witty that I felt totally engrossed by his characters' rambunctious conversations and farcical excursions. It's an invaluable portrait of a community in London at this time which was previously under-represented in fiction and it's no wonder that the writer Caryl Phillips commented “Selvon's meticulously observed narratives of displaced Londoners' lives created a template for how to write about migrant, and postmigrant, London for countless writers who have followed in his wake, including Hanif Kureishi and Zadie Smith.”
Read my full review of The Housing Lark by Sam Selvon on LonesomeReader
Read my full review of The Housing Lark by Sam Selvon on LonesomeReader
June 30, 2020
So really speaking, if it have fellars who seem to be breezing through life without a care, you have to say good luck to them. If a fellar could afford to laugh, skiff-skiff at something what making you cry, how you could blame him?
This summarises the philosophy of this novel beautifully as Selvon follows the lives of a group of recent young Caribbean immigrants to London in, I presume, the 1950s. The characters take centre stage as the charming but rascally Bat comes up with a lark for them to club together to put down a deposit on a house thus activating the dreams of his sister and their friends.
Selvon breezes through the story not avoiding issues of racism, of Harry Banjo being falsely arrested by the police and thrown into prison, and the distinctively masculinised view of the young narrator and most of the characters who throw a lustful male gaze over all women, slangily known as 'things'...
All the same, this is vibrant and comic, astute on 1950s immigrant life, on the cultural differences between, say, Trinidadians and Jamaicans who all get lumped together by Britons, and full of irreverent wit. Hugely enjoyable and with a tender eye on flawed characters and their relentless optimism and enthusiasm in the face of what is hardly a warm welcome.
Oh, and the day trip by coach from Brixton to 'Hamdon Court' that Bat organises as a money-making scheme is pure comic genius!
Many thanks to Penguin for an ARC via NetGalley.
July 11, 2020
Prior to The Housing Lark (1965) I had only read one other book by Sam Selvon, and that was the wonderful The Lonely Londoners (1956) which is a really interesting, enjoyable and important book. Despite being rooted in the 1950s it contains universal truths for all people who seek a new life in a new and alien place.
The Housing Lark takes place in the mid-1960s and, once again, contains a motley band of disparate characters. Ten years after the homesickness which characterised The Lonely Londoners this group are more streetwise and aspire to escape the tyranny of unscrupulous landlords by buying their own property. Sadly, their leader Battersby (aka Bat) sees this as an opportunity to scam his friends and pocket a bit of extra spending money.
Needless to say The Housing Lark is another exuberant read from Sam Selvon and one which captures the 1960s West Indian immigrant experience in London in all its warts-and-all glory.
The excursion to Hampton Court is worth the price of admission alone, as is the denouement when it is the women who take control of the chaotic scheme to buy a property.
Another splendid Sam Selvon read. The sooner all his work is back in print the better.
4/5
The Housing Lark takes place in the mid-1960s and, once again, contains a motley band of disparate characters. Ten years after the homesickness which characterised The Lonely Londoners this group are more streetwise and aspire to escape the tyranny of unscrupulous landlords by buying their own property. Sadly, their leader Battersby (aka Bat) sees this as an opportunity to scam his friends and pocket a bit of extra spending money.
Needless to say The Housing Lark is another exuberant read from Sam Selvon and one which captures the 1960s West Indian immigrant experience in London in all its warts-and-all glory.
The excursion to Hampton Court is worth the price of admission alone, as is the denouement when it is the women who take control of the chaotic scheme to buy a property.
Another splendid Sam Selvon read. The sooner all his work is back in print the better.
4/5
May 9, 2020
This tragicomic novel of a group of West Indian immigrants in 1960's London who "on a lark" decide to save money to buy a house. They live in squalid rental flats and houses and are eager to claim their share of the good life by investing in property. Mayhem ensues as the person responsible for collecting the money gambles it away and tries to hide it from the rest of the gang. This very slim volume is packed with action as they try to redeem the situation and secure their place in England. The story feels so true to life and had me both laughing and crying as they pursue their lark. Outstanding! Makes me want to look for more of from this author.
We learn in the introduction, that Selvon made a conscious decision to write the entire book in the patois of the Islands departing from the more common approach of using it for just dialogue. I think this is a big part of what made it feel so real.
Why I'm reading this: A recent article in the New York Review of Books "NY Daily", A Lark in West Indian London, highlighting the recent reissue of this book caught my eye. I had not heard of Sam Selvon before, but evidently he is a well-regarded author of Caribbean, black British, post-war literature. In explaining why this book is often overlooked in academic courses on this subject, I was sold by . . . "it seems that required reading lists often can't accommodate humor".
We learn in the introduction, that Selvon made a conscious decision to write the entire book in the patois of the Islands departing from the more common approach of using it for just dialogue. I think this is a big part of what made it feel so real.
Why I'm reading this: A recent article in the New York Review of Books "NY Daily", A Lark in West Indian London, highlighting the recent reissue of this book caught my eye. I had not heard of Sam Selvon before, but evidently he is a well-regarded author of Caribbean, black British, post-war literature. In explaining why this book is often overlooked in academic courses on this subject, I was sold by . . . "it seems that required reading lists often can't accommodate humor".
August 3, 2020
The Housing Lark is definitely a lark as it’s full of humorous episodes and laugh out loud character studies of Battersby’s house mates and friends. However, behind the humour, what the book does so well is to shed light on more serious issues: whether that’s the Anglo-centric nature of the history syllabus, the overt raciscm faced by immigrants or the lack of access to decent housing.
For example, although it has the serious issue of discrimination at its heart, one of my favourite stories concerns Sylvester. In order to find a room to rent, he is forced to convince the landlord he is from India rather than from Trinidad (the former being more acceptable seemingly than the latter.) He succeeds but has to keep up the part despite knowing little about India. Entering Sylvester’s room one day to find him standing on his head, the landlord asks what he is doing. Sylvester replies, “I am practising my yoghourt”. There are many more episodes of that kind.
One of Battersby’s moneymaking schemes to help raise the deposit for a house is to organise a coach excursion. The destination chosen is “Hamdon Court” and much hilarity ensues from the very start. “And the food and drink – well, it look like they setting off for an expedition to the North Pole or something.” When they finally get going, “like if fete start up right away. Fellars begin beating bottle and spoon and singing calypso…three bottles of rum start to make rounds…a woman open up a pot of pilau and start dishing out food.”
On arrival at their destination, most of the men choose not to tour the palace, opting instead for the delights of the rum bottle and showing off their (supposed) knowledge of history. All English history, of course.
“Nights of the round table and Richard with the lion heart and them fellars“, offers one. “Don’t forget Robin Hood and the Merry Men. And what about the fellar who was watching a spider and make the cakes burn?“, says another.
The book challenges the notion that people from the Caribbean region are a homogenous group. “To introduce you to all these characters would take you into different worlds, don’t mind all of them is the same colour.” It would be nice to think we can all deny the following accusation: “All you interested in is that he black – to English people, every black man look the same. And to tell you he come from Trinidad and not Jamaica – them two places a thousand miles apart – won’t matter to you, because to Englishers the West Indies is the West Indies, and if a man say he come from Tobago or St. Lucia or Grenada, you none the wiser.” As someone who has been lucky enough to visit several Caribbean islands over the years, I confess I was initially guilty of some of this thinking, imagining that the people from one island would frequently “pop over” to a neighbouring one. Of course, as I learned, they all have entirely different cultures, histories and, in some cases, languages.
The book demonstrates that, just as the British struggle to understand some of the immigrants’ customs, the newcomers are equally confused by what they find. For example, Battersby is perplexed by the UK’s changeable weather, so different from his homeland of Trinidad. “Funny thing in this country, you could never tell what sort of day waiting to pounce on you.” He also finds it hard to comprehend the British fixation with trying to forecast the weather. For instance, he marvels that on the television “they have this big map spread out, and a fellar come with a stick like a school master” who seems to have the power to determine the weather by moving symbols to different places.
I confess I struggled a little with some of the male characters’ attitude to women, especially the use of what seemed to me demeaning terms for them and a fixation with making sexual conquests. However, I’ll freely admit that this may be my own cultural prejudices and all the author is doing is faithfully recording the attitudes of the period.
The female characters come across as far more sensible than their male counterparts. For example, Battersby’s sister, Jean, does her best to keep him on the straight and narrow and ensure he looks respectable. This also extends to contributing to his rent, even though that means she has to work as, what she euphemistically describes, a kind of receptionist, explaining “I have to entertain the customers, and make sure they satisfy“.
As Battersby eventually realises, the idea of buying a house might be a lark to some of them but to women like Teena, struggling to bring up a family in cramped accommodation, it’s anything but. As she says, “Shame, shame and sorrows, is what scalliwags and scoundrels like the set of you bring on the heads of. Everything is a skylark and a fete and a bacchanal.” The omniscient narrator seems to agree. “You say this whole plan to buy a house was doom to turn old mask from the very beginning. Look at all these dreamers, and imagine that characters like these could get serious.”
In a recent online article recommending books about the Windrush generation, including Sam Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners, Sara Collins (author of The Confessions of Frannie Langton) writes, “Selvon said that he was the first Caribbean writer to employ dialect in a full-length novel for narrative and dialogue. The result is musical, addictive, unparalleled prose.” I think you can see the evidence of this from the quotes I’ve included – the rhythmic speech, the colloquialisms and use of dialect. At one point the word ‘buttards’ is used and the narrator notes, “That’s a good word, but you won’t find it in the dictionary…. It ain’t have no word in the English language to mean that, so make it up.”
The Housing Lark is a fascinating insight into the experiences of immigrants to Britain in the 1960s. It’s also a huge amount of fun.
For example, although it has the serious issue of discrimination at its heart, one of my favourite stories concerns Sylvester. In order to find a room to rent, he is forced to convince the landlord he is from India rather than from Trinidad (the former being more acceptable seemingly than the latter.) He succeeds but has to keep up the part despite knowing little about India. Entering Sylvester’s room one day to find him standing on his head, the landlord asks what he is doing. Sylvester replies, “I am practising my yoghourt”. There are many more episodes of that kind.
One of Battersby’s moneymaking schemes to help raise the deposit for a house is to organise a coach excursion. The destination chosen is “Hamdon Court” and much hilarity ensues from the very start. “And the food and drink – well, it look like they setting off for an expedition to the North Pole or something.” When they finally get going, “like if fete start up right away. Fellars begin beating bottle and spoon and singing calypso…three bottles of rum start to make rounds…a woman open up a pot of pilau and start dishing out food.”
On arrival at their destination, most of the men choose not to tour the palace, opting instead for the delights of the rum bottle and showing off their (supposed) knowledge of history. All English history, of course.
“Nights of the round table and Richard with the lion heart and them fellars“, offers one. “Don’t forget Robin Hood and the Merry Men. And what about the fellar who was watching a spider and make the cakes burn?“, says another.
The book challenges the notion that people from the Caribbean region are a homogenous group. “To introduce you to all these characters would take you into different worlds, don’t mind all of them is the same colour.” It would be nice to think we can all deny the following accusation: “All you interested in is that he black – to English people, every black man look the same. And to tell you he come from Trinidad and not Jamaica – them two places a thousand miles apart – won’t matter to you, because to Englishers the West Indies is the West Indies, and if a man say he come from Tobago or St. Lucia or Grenada, you none the wiser.” As someone who has been lucky enough to visit several Caribbean islands over the years, I confess I was initially guilty of some of this thinking, imagining that the people from one island would frequently “pop over” to a neighbouring one. Of course, as I learned, they all have entirely different cultures, histories and, in some cases, languages.
The book demonstrates that, just as the British struggle to understand some of the immigrants’ customs, the newcomers are equally confused by what they find. For example, Battersby is perplexed by the UK’s changeable weather, so different from his homeland of Trinidad. “Funny thing in this country, you could never tell what sort of day waiting to pounce on you.” He also finds it hard to comprehend the British fixation with trying to forecast the weather. For instance, he marvels that on the television “they have this big map spread out, and a fellar come with a stick like a school master” who seems to have the power to determine the weather by moving symbols to different places.
I confess I struggled a little with some of the male characters’ attitude to women, especially the use of what seemed to me demeaning terms for them and a fixation with making sexual conquests. However, I’ll freely admit that this may be my own cultural prejudices and all the author is doing is faithfully recording the attitudes of the period.
The female characters come across as far more sensible than their male counterparts. For example, Battersby’s sister, Jean, does her best to keep him on the straight and narrow and ensure he looks respectable. This also extends to contributing to his rent, even though that means she has to work as, what she euphemistically describes, a kind of receptionist, explaining “I have to entertain the customers, and make sure they satisfy“.
As Battersby eventually realises, the idea of buying a house might be a lark to some of them but to women like Teena, struggling to bring up a family in cramped accommodation, it’s anything but. As she says, “Shame, shame and sorrows, is what scalliwags and scoundrels like the set of you bring on the heads of. Everything is a skylark and a fete and a bacchanal.” The omniscient narrator seems to agree. “You say this whole plan to buy a house was doom to turn old mask from the very beginning. Look at all these dreamers, and imagine that characters like these could get serious.”
In a recent online article recommending books about the Windrush generation, including Sam Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners, Sara Collins (author of The Confessions of Frannie Langton) writes, “Selvon said that he was the first Caribbean writer to employ dialect in a full-length novel for narrative and dialogue. The result is musical, addictive, unparalleled prose.” I think you can see the evidence of this from the quotes I’ve included – the rhythmic speech, the colloquialisms and use of dialect. At one point the word ‘buttards’ is used and the narrator notes, “That’s a good word, but you won’t find it in the dictionary…. It ain’t have no word in the English language to mean that, so make it up.”
The Housing Lark is a fascinating insight into the experiences of immigrants to Britain in the 1960s. It’s also a huge amount of fun.
October 9, 2020
Okay, this was hilarious - review to come!
Thank you, Penguin Classics, for my copy in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you, Penguin Classics, for my copy in exchange for an honest review!
October 26, 2020
My third novel I've completed for the #2BooksUnder50Reviews Challenge.
A comic novel set in 1960s London that will give plenty of laughs to any reader who gives it a chance.
More thoughts on the way!
A comic novel set in 1960s London that will give plenty of laughs to any reader who gives it a chance.
More thoughts on the way!
July 5, 2020
That laugh you need in a Caribbean story. I loved it! Watch my review here ->https://youtu.be/z4QWFydQU_s
September 4, 2020
An absolutely beautiful and stunning read, honest, sincere and raw truth but filled with great humour , the author deals with the experiences of homesickness, loneliness, racism, intolerance, the immigration experience in London in the 60s when this was written (although since it was written not much has changed) This is the first book I have read by Sam Selvon but I will definitely be seeking out the authors other work, as other readers suggest this isn’t even his best work. The writing style I thought was wonderful, the descriptions so good and it just pulls you into Battersy’s experience completely. Highly recommended (especially if you read Zadie Smith you will enjoy this too)
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
April 20, 2024
Second time reading it because this time I am teaching it. It's brilliant to see while there is a loose plot, and a super-loose protagonist, it manages to deeply engage with so many themes such as police brutality, hostility not only towards but also within the migrant communities, extensive misogyny, and of course housing and labor crisis. The grim picture of the Caribbean migrants in London and the heavy contrast with the cheery and playful tone of the text makes it a very effective reading. Unexpectedly, my students had a hard time relating to the broken English used by the characters.
I learned about Sam Selvon while reading an article by George Lamming and the way he was seeking to make a point about a categor of post-colonial texts... I found a good deal online and so I just ordered it! It’s hilarious and very insightful about life of migrant workers from the West Indies, mainly Trinidad, in London. The plot of the book, if there actually be one, is some stories of this group of people who are fed up with their jerkish landlords and rents and stuff so they get together deciding to save up and buy a big house where they can all live together and their shenanigans when trying to save money! The writing style is priceless with all the misspelled words and ungrammatical sentences; it’s amazing to see how despite the incoherence in writing, the core issues of immigration, integration and inequality still comes to surface. Gonna read more by Selvon, definitely!
I learned about Sam Selvon while reading an article by George Lamming and the way he was seeking to make a point about a categor of post-colonial texts... I found a good deal online and so I just ordered it! It’s hilarious and very insightful about life of migrant workers from the West Indies, mainly Trinidad, in London. The plot of the book, if there actually be one, is some stories of this group of people who are fed up with their jerkish landlords and rents and stuff so they get together deciding to save up and buy a big house where they can all live together and their shenanigans when trying to save money! The writing style is priceless with all the misspelled words and ungrammatical sentences; it’s amazing to see how despite the incoherence in writing, the core issues of immigration, integration and inequality still comes to surface. Gonna read more by Selvon, definitely!
May 29, 2020
This had the same interesting and well thought out ideas that The Lonely Londoners had. The story wasn't as interesting as the previous one but i liked this for the most part. I liked how it looked at the Caribbean experience after they settled in London. I think this should be pushed as much as the Lonely Londoners are.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 16, 2025
A short but very comical novel and set in 1960s Brixton so a very fascinating bit of black British social history. I’ve never read anything written in Trinidadian English before and researching a bit about ‘nation language’ and its legacy in British (especially London) literature made me appreciate this book a lot. Will definitely read more of selvon’s works in the future
February 17, 2021
sam selvon once again didn’t miss! just like the lonely londoners this was a joy to read - snappy, vivid and witty all round!! he’s such a talent
May 25, 2020
This is a very short book that was written in the 60's. The premise is a group of people renting a house looking to buy their own house. This is a really good book and the money making schemes are often witty especially the description of the Hampton Court trip and gives a good description of the matriarchal place in the home and out of it. The descriptions of the food often left me wanting to try or revisit some of the food I encountered in my youth. Though the racism of the time is not on every page it does "bubble away" underneath as a subtext almost of the day to day lives.
A great read that reminds us of a time in Britain that shows what life was like in 60's Brixton.
A great read that reminds us of a time in Britain that shows what life was like in 60's Brixton.
July 31, 2023
This was a short but punchy insight into wind rush immigrants living and renting in London. The audio actor's performance was flawless. It was amazing to hear the actor depict the accents of each islander. Very impressive. The ending was somewhat sudden, but it's still an entertaining take on the times and experiences these men and women endured in 1950s London.
September 29, 2023
This story is of a man who tries to scam his friends. The lovers of his friend group, peep the con and ask for their deposit back. The story ends dryly and I am left holding a basket of water.
August 30, 2020
In the years following World War II, England experienced a labor shortage and thus encouraged the migration of Commonwealth citizens to "Mother" England. Trinidad native and Royal Navy veteran Selvon wrote a number of books about this generation of a quarter-million migrants, focusing on those from the Caribbean who came to London (the most famous of which is The Lonely Londoners).
In this slim book, we meet a small circle of West Indian friends in Brixton who are perpetually hustling to meet the weekly rent for their ramshackle shared rooms. As was typical of the times, housing for West Indian immigrants was in short supply, as many landlords refused to rent to them, and those that would, often didn't provide even the most basic of upkeep. They hit upon the "lark" of pooling savings to purchase a house they can own together, and that aim is the loose thread binding the book together.
The book unfolds in a series of episodes, centering on the Trinidadian Battersby ("Bat") and his new roommate, a Jamacian calypso player named Harry. Upstairs lives Bat's sister Jean, who works as a prostitute in Hyde Park, and her shop assistant roommate Matilda. The men in their rummy-playing, beer-drinking, tale-telling circle include the skirt-chasing Fitz, reefer-merchant Poor, mournful Gallows, who spends his days searching a a 5 pound note he dropped years ago, and Syl, an Indian from Trinidad who can't keep his room in a boarding house for "real" Indians because he doesn't know anything about subcontinental Indian culture, Alfy, and the henpecked Nobby.
There's not much of a plot per se, and the titular scheme never comes to the fore. Instead, it's an intimate glimpse at the social structures formed by these men, and the practical women who are more or less the only ones with the maturity to actually get anything useful done. It's written in a loose creolized English that unfurls in its own cadence as the stories collage into a portrait of community, culminating in a memorable group excursion to Hampton Court.
In this slim book, we meet a small circle of West Indian friends in Brixton who are perpetually hustling to meet the weekly rent for their ramshackle shared rooms. As was typical of the times, housing for West Indian immigrants was in short supply, as many landlords refused to rent to them, and those that would, often didn't provide even the most basic of upkeep. They hit upon the "lark" of pooling savings to purchase a house they can own together, and that aim is the loose thread binding the book together.
The book unfolds in a series of episodes, centering on the Trinidadian Battersby ("Bat") and his new roommate, a Jamacian calypso player named Harry. Upstairs lives Bat's sister Jean, who works as a prostitute in Hyde Park, and her shop assistant roommate Matilda. The men in their rummy-playing, beer-drinking, tale-telling circle include the skirt-chasing Fitz, reefer-merchant Poor, mournful Gallows, who spends his days searching a a 5 pound note he dropped years ago, and Syl, an Indian from Trinidad who can't keep his room in a boarding house for "real" Indians because he doesn't know anything about subcontinental Indian culture, Alfy, and the henpecked Nobby.
There's not much of a plot per se, and the titular scheme never comes to the fore. Instead, it's an intimate glimpse at the social structures formed by these men, and the practical women who are more or less the only ones with the maturity to actually get anything useful done. It's written in a loose creolized English that unfurls in its own cadence as the stories collage into a portrait of community, culminating in a memorable group excursion to Hampton Court.
November 10, 2022
Selvon assembles a cast of characters who bear a striking resemblance to those who figured in The Lonely Londoners. West Indian men ekeing out a existence in 1950s London wit skiff skiff lifestyles and grandioise ambitions. The central characters this time are Batterby and Harry Banjo - Trinidian and Jamaican who find themselves by chance sharing a dingy basement flat in Brixton. Bat is a hustler, looking for ways to skim off some of the money that seems to circulate among his circle of firends. The housing lark becomes one of his schemes.
The backdrop is the intense racism this generation of Caribbean people had to put up with in Britain of that time, which expressed itself most harshly in the limited range or jobs on offer to them, and the even more restricted housing options. The desire for something better than the dank, overpriced places they had to ensure led many to contemplate the housing lark as an alternative.
This was an infrmal savings club between a group of friends, accumulating the cash that would be needed to pay the deposit on a home they could collectively own. Battersby extracts the lucre on a regular basis and comes up with additional money-earning schemes, like an excursion to Hampton Court Palace, to increase the fund. The story hangs around episodes in which the group get together to play cards, drink rum, and talk up their hopes and dreams. We also get a funny, touching account of the day our in Hampton Court, when the immigrant families of three generati0ns get together to momentarily recreate the culture of their home society.
Attitudes to women seem harsh - discussed by the men in the early pages at 'things' to be pursued for sex. It is a pursuit that causes a few of them more anguish than pleasure and there is a hint that the partriachial attitudes they seem to proclaim aren't working out well for them. Battersby's sister, Jean, suggests there is another element to West Indian culture that ascribes to the females the role of holding it all together and moving the Caribbean community forward.
The backdrop is the intense racism this generation of Caribbean people had to put up with in Britain of that time, which expressed itself most harshly in the limited range or jobs on offer to them, and the even more restricted housing options. The desire for something better than the dank, overpriced places they had to ensure led many to contemplate the housing lark as an alternative.
This was an infrmal savings club between a group of friends, accumulating the cash that would be needed to pay the deposit on a home they could collectively own. Battersby extracts the lucre on a regular basis and comes up with additional money-earning schemes, like an excursion to Hampton Court Palace, to increase the fund. The story hangs around episodes in which the group get together to play cards, drink rum, and talk up their hopes and dreams. We also get a funny, touching account of the day our in Hampton Court, when the immigrant families of three generati0ns get together to momentarily recreate the culture of their home society.
Attitudes to women seem harsh - discussed by the men in the early pages at 'things' to be pursued for sex. It is a pursuit that causes a few of them more anguish than pleasure and there is a hint that the partriachial attitudes they seem to proclaim aren't working out well for them. Battersby's sister, Jean, suggests there is another element to West Indian culture that ascribes to the females the role of holding it all together and moving the Caribbean community forward.
October 25, 2020
"Summer can't last for ever. All them tulips and daffodils and blue skies have their day of bloom and depart."
Sam Selvon's The Housing Lark is a beautifully lyrical and humour-filled book, every line in the hundred or so pages is laced with West Indian witticisms.
Essentially a character study of a group of Windrush Generation immigrants in Brixton who come up with a scheme to save to buy a house as a collective. The story meanders with tales of their respective vices and foibles and joviality ensures. It is extremely playful in tone and I did not want it to end!
"Syl was a master of refractions, like Fitz was a professor of womanology."
The racism appears shocking to us because it is so surface level, compared to the racism of today where it is rarer for slurs and discrimination to be so open and brazenly used, but the prejudice is still there now, just sometimes harder to identify than in 60s. The language may have changed, but some of the attitudes shown here remain the same.
"All you interested in is that he black - to English people, every black man look the same. And to tell you he come from Trinidad and not Jamaica- them two places a thousand miles apart- won't matter to you, because to Englishers the West Indies is the West Indies, and if a man say he come from Tobago or St Lucia or Grenada, you none the wiser."
I read this for Black History Month, but is also a great #readcaribbean title too.
Sam Selvon's The Housing Lark is a beautifully lyrical and humour-filled book, every line in the hundred or so pages is laced with West Indian witticisms.
Essentially a character study of a group of Windrush Generation immigrants in Brixton who come up with a scheme to save to buy a house as a collective. The story meanders with tales of their respective vices and foibles and joviality ensures. It is extremely playful in tone and I did not want it to end!
"Syl was a master of refractions, like Fitz was a professor of womanology."
The racism appears shocking to us because it is so surface level, compared to the racism of today where it is rarer for slurs and discrimination to be so open and brazenly used, but the prejudice is still there now, just sometimes harder to identify than in 60s. The language may have changed, but some of the attitudes shown here remain the same.
"All you interested in is that he black - to English people, every black man look the same. And to tell you he come from Trinidad and not Jamaica- them two places a thousand miles apart- won't matter to you, because to Englishers the West Indies is the West Indies, and if a man say he come from Tobago or St Lucia or Grenada, you none the wiser."
I read this for Black History Month, but is also a great #readcaribbean title too.
February 25, 2024
The Housing Lark offers a vibrant glimpse into the life of Battersby, a spirited West Indian immigrant navigating the bustling life of 1960s London. Alongside his sister Jean and a ragtag cast of friends, including the memorable Harry Calypso, Battersby's journey unfolds with charm and wit.
What truly shines in this narrative is the dynamic camaraderie among Battersby and his companions, reminiscent of the endearing antics seen in the beloved sitcom, Only Fools and Horses. Sam Selvon's adept portrayal of their banter, infused with authentic West Indian/Caribbean patois, effortlessly breathes life into the characters, making their interactions feel authentic.
Amidst the comedic elements, Selvon skillfully weaves a poignant commentary on the racial tensions and hardships faced by immigrants in 1960s Britain. From housing and job discrimination to the longing for acceptance, the novel poignantly captures the struggles of the era, while also exploring the aspirations and resilience of its characters.
Despite the adversities they face, the characters exude a contagious optimism and zest for life, buoyed by the belief that luck might someday favor their endeavors.
The Housing Lark marks my introduction to Sam Selvon's works, and its engaging narrative has left me eager to explore more of his works.
What truly shines in this narrative is the dynamic camaraderie among Battersby and his companions, reminiscent of the endearing antics seen in the beloved sitcom, Only Fools and Horses. Sam Selvon's adept portrayal of their banter, infused with authentic West Indian/Caribbean patois, effortlessly breathes life into the characters, making their interactions feel authentic.
Amidst the comedic elements, Selvon skillfully weaves a poignant commentary on the racial tensions and hardships faced by immigrants in 1960s Britain. From housing and job discrimination to the longing for acceptance, the novel poignantly captures the struggles of the era, while also exploring the aspirations and resilience of its characters.
Despite the adversities they face, the characters exude a contagious optimism and zest for life, buoyed by the belief that luck might someday favor their endeavors.
The Housing Lark marks my introduction to Sam Selvon's works, and its engaging narrative has left me eager to explore more of his works.
October 25, 2020
after loving selvon's immersive and expansive city song The Lonely Londoners, this proved to be a satisfyingly broad and accomplished excursion in the kind of character-focused 'balladry' that left episodes of the other novel like the bedroom pigeon trap sparkling clear in my memory. selvon's mastery of dialect can overshadow his astute sense of narrative empathy: this novel knows when to bring the reader in (conspiring to acknowledge our protagonist's renaming of his flat to delight him) and when to push us away (chiding english readers for not caring about the distinctive physiognomic or national differences between his characters), when to step back from commentary (the potent contrast between the breughelian landscape at hamdon court and the coachman's patently inadquate but plausible retort) and when to speak plainly and directly (the quotation in the top review on this site, which encapsulate's the novel's remarkable and finely aged balance of political defiance and easygoing geniality). The Lonely Londoners is an essential historical document but this novella proves selvon's enduring capacity to balance testimony of distinct experience with rich evocations of universality.
December 30, 2023
Set in the mid 1960's in London, The Housing Lark tells the story of a group of West Indian migrants who decide to overcome the racist housing market and ridiculously high rent prices by pooling their money and buying a house together. The fact that this idea comes up when they are all drinking tells you a little about the path that this plan will take. Selvon does an excellent job using humor to highlight the challenges experienced by the Windrush generation who had been encouraged to emigrate from the Caribbean to London to combat labor shortages after WWII. In The Lonely Londoners, Selvon highlights the challenges of new migrants to London with a much more serious tone. The Housing Lark is sharp and funny but still includes the critiques on the reality of the situation. It's also interesting to see how Selvon portrays the male vs female characters in this short novel as well as the dynamics between the two groups.
April 14, 2021
This Penguin Modern Classic audiobook reading by Don Gilet of the 1965 novel The Housing Lark is a delight. It captures the struggle and humour of the Windrush generation from the West Indies into Britain. The dialogue and observations are well-captured and delivered by the reader, in particular the beautiful patois of Battersby and Alphonse who are always looking out to make pound or two whist struggling with the weather, finding a room to rent, and indiscriminate racism. There is lots of sexual observations of the women characters but they are fully realised in their own right and are often given the upper hand.
Thanks to Penguin Random House UK Audio and Netgalley.
Thanks to Penguin Random House UK Audio and Netgalley.
October 6, 2022
First published in 1965, The Housing Lark, is a book of its time - and yet, there are elements that seem remarkably similar to the current times. The book was written in West Indian Vernacular English (WIVE) but it only took a page or two to fall into the rhythm. Racism, still an issue, though perhaps not so overt as in the fifties and sixties. Sexism, still an issue, though perhaps not so overt - I doubt anyone these day could get away with calling women, 'things'. For all that this book is warm, witty, and shows the strength of women, whatever their rank in life and is absolutely worth the read.
February 2, 2023
Very funny, somewhat sad tale of the struggles of black immigrants in the 1960s to settle in London. Fleeced for the rent of shabby rooms, let and sublet to far too many tenants, and suffering from racism, they seek to work collectively to get on the housing ladder. However, the tendencies and trials of their lives get in the way.
Oddly reminiscent of the working men in The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, this has a fun collectivity, the occasional laser-like historical barb and a vernacular all of its own.
One scene in particular, where two West Indians argue about who is the most Indian, is very funny. And you will just love Teena.
Oddly reminiscent of the working men in The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, this has a fun collectivity, the occasional laser-like historical barb and a vernacular all of its own.
One scene in particular, where two West Indians argue about who is the most Indian, is very funny. And you will just love Teena.
January 1, 2024
I loved this. Selvon writes about societal issues using very humorous characters. I loved how he explains the lack of focus on their physical appearances and gets the reader to question whether those matter as much.
The novella is set in mid 1900s England following some Caribbean characters for whom the ambition to make it in the mother country is at odds with the constant desire for fun. The Lark (or joke), then, is whether they can come together to focus on accomplishing a dream.
I really enjoyed how the author presents gender differences in this one… what might seem like misogyny in the beginning, is really a set up for the storytelling.
The novella is set in mid 1900s England following some Caribbean characters for whom the ambition to make it in the mother country is at odds with the constant desire for fun. The Lark (or joke), then, is whether they can come together to focus on accomplishing a dream.
I really enjoyed how the author presents gender differences in this one… what might seem like misogyny in the beginning, is really a set up for the storytelling.
April 18, 2021
This book tells of a collection of unique characters that group together in an attempt to buy a house in London in the 1960's. There are ingenious schemes in making money and ducking and diving from some of the characters.
The characters are beautifully illustrated and this is a funny story with serious themes of inequality and racism in the 1960's and the price of housing.
It is well narrated and very enjoyable.
Highly recommended.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley in allowing me to listen to in return for a review.
The characters are beautifully illustrated and this is a funny story with serious themes of inequality and racism in the 1960's and the price of housing.
It is well narrated and very enjoyable.
Highly recommended.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley in allowing me to listen to in return for a review.
October 10, 2022
This was such a sincere and raw account filled with relatable moments of feeling homesick while also trying your hardest to make the most of your current circumstances.
The humour in this book was refreshing even when dealing with issues of loneliness, racial intolerance and the experience of immigrating to London in the 60's - full of confusion at being asked to come but arriving and finding yourself unwanted.
For such a short story, it's incredibly immersive and relatable, regardless of your background.
What a charming book full of laughs, hopes and dreams!
The humour in this book was refreshing even when dealing with issues of loneliness, racial intolerance and the experience of immigrating to London in the 60's - full of confusion at being asked to come but arriving and finding yourself unwanted.
For such a short story, it's incredibly immersive and relatable, regardless of your background.
What a charming book full of laughs, hopes and dreams!
July 29, 2020
If you enjoy the narrative of Zadie Smith and Hanif Kureishi, you'll love this book too.
Interesting and funny story about Jamaicans and Trinidadians in London in mid 1960-s who decide to buy a house. And then the story begins. Their scheme is very chaotic and one of them tries to scam his colleges. There si also an issue of racism and all the problems and challenges of migrants in Great Britain.
Optimistic and enthusiastic novel. Real classic.
Interesting and funny story about Jamaicans and Trinidadians in London in mid 1960-s who decide to buy a house. And then the story begins. Their scheme is very chaotic and one of them tries to scam his colleges. There si also an issue of racism and all the problems and challenges of migrants in Great Britain.
Optimistic and enthusiastic novel. Real classic.
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