Ferdinand Dennis, Behind the Frontlines: Journey into Afro-Britain

Sofia Aatkar (The Nottingham Trent University)

Ed. by Jenni Ramone, The Nottingham Trent University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Gina Lyle (University of Glasgow), Graham MacPhee (University of Manchester), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1988 - 1988

Places

United Kingdom (Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Non-Fiction
- Guidebooks / Travel writing

Resources

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Ferdinand Dennis’s first text,

Behind the Frontlines: Journey into Afro-Britain

(1988), received the Martin Luther King Memorial prize in 1988, and reveals the multifaceted nature of Afro-British culture. Dennis’s subject position – a Caribbean-born individual who grew up in London – allows him to pass behind the frontlines and access the seemingly closed community of first and second generation black migrants in Britain. Written in the first person,

Behind the Frontlines

describes Dennis’s journey around Britain, during which he visits the black communities in some of Britain’s major cities, namely Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham, Cardiff, Bristol, Bath and London. Throughout the narrative, it becomes clear that the frontline exists not only as a form of…

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1893 words

Citation: Aatkar, Sofia. "Behind the Frontlines: Journey into Afro-Britain". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 September 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35705, accessed 26 April 2024.]

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