For a nation that brought the world Chartism, the Suffragettes, the Tolpuddle Martyrs, and so many other grassroots social movements, Britain rarely celebrates its long, great tradition of people power. In this timely and evocative collection, twenty authors have assembled to re-imagine key moments of British protest, from the Peasants Revolt of 1381 to the anti-Iraq War demo of 2003. Written in close consultation with historians, sociologists and eyewitnesses who also contribute afterwords these stories follow fictional characters caught up in real-life struggles, offering a streetlevel perspective on the noble art of resistance. In the age of fake news and post-truth politics this book fights fiction with (well researched, historically accurate) fiction.
Reviews
As the book enters the 20th Century, the chapters become infused with an awareness of the inequalities and discrimination of our age, becoming a call to action. The variety of storytelling ensures that the protests don't feel indistinct or hopeless, yet the injustices described feel depressingly familiar' - The New Statesman
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The peasants' revolt, 1381 |
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1 | (16) |
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11 | (6) |
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17 | (12) |
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25 | (4) |
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29 | (18) |
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40 | (7) |
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47 | (24) |
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A Fiery Flag Unfurled in Coleman Street |
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62 | (9) |
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The Pentrich Rising, 1817 |
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71 | (12) |
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77 | (6) |
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83 | (30) |
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101 | (12) |
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113 | (12) |
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There are Five Ways Out of this Room |
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118 | (7) |
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The National Blind March, 1920 |
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125 | (22) |
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141 | (6) |
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The Aldermaston March, 1958-63 |
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147 | (32) |
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168 | (11) |
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179 | (22) |
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192 | (9) |
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Grosvenor Sq. Anti-Vietnam War Demo, 1968 |
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201 | (14) |
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209 | (6) |
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215 | (22) |
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228 | (9) |
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Night Cleaners' Strike, 1971-2 |
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237 | (34) |
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265 | (6) |
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The Welsh Language Protests, 1979 |
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271 | (12) |
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277 | (6) |
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Now Cross Fire & The Brixton Riots, 1981 |
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283 | (20) |
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298 | (5) |
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303 | (32) |
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329 | (6) |
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The Battle of Orgreave, 1984 |
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335 | (40) |
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366 | (9) |
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375 | (30) |
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393 | (12) |
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405 | (24) |
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422 | (7) |
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The Anti--Iraq war Demo, 2003 |
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429 | (18) |
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442 | (5) |
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| About the Authors |
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447 | (6) |
| About the Consultants |
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Sandra Alland is an Edinburgh-based Scottish-Canadian writer, interdisciplinary artist, small press publisher, performer, filmmaker and curator. Martyn Bedford is a British author. He writes novels for adults and teenagers and teaches creative writing. Sean Cernow is an actor and poet. Kate Clanchy works as a teacher, journalist and freelance writer. David Constantine worked for thirty years as a university teacher of German language and literature. Frank Cottrell-Boyce is known for his children's fiction and for his collaborations with film director Michael Winterbottom. Mandy Theresa O'Loughlin, known professionally as Kit de Waal, is an English writer. Her prize-winning flash fiction and short stories appear in various anthologies. Stuart Evers's first book, Ten Stories About Smoking, was published by Picador in 2011 and won The London Book Award. Sara Maitland is a British writer and feminist. An accomplished novelist, she is also known for her short stories. Joanna Quinn is studying for a PhD in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London. Francesca Rhydderch's debut novel, The Rice Paper Diaries, was longlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award and won the Wales Book of the Year Fiction Prize 2014. Jacob Ross is a novelist, short story wiriter, editor and creative writing tutor.
