Bernardine Evaristo

Standard Name: Evaristo, Bernardine
Since the late twentieth century, BE has written novels both in prose and, unusually, in verse. Her topics range from the romantic history of her own family, to Roman London thousands of years in the past, to fantasy, to close observation of West Indian culture both in the Caribbean and in London. Her writing has been translated into such languages as Czech, Finnish, Hungarian, Italian, and Mandarin. She has done important work editing poetry collections and facilitating publication by younger poets, especially those of colour.
Evaristo, Bernardine. Bernardine Evaristo, Writer. http://bevaristo.com/.
Close-up colour photograph of Bernardine Evaristo, during the Booker Prize Winner event at Guildhall, London, 14 October 2019. She wears a colorful patterned headband, silver hoop earings, and a bright pink blazer jacket.

Connections

Connections Author name Excerpt
Intertextuality and Influence Maggie Gee
She next sought suggestions for revision from writers of colour (Bernardine Evaristo , Mike Phillips , Colin Grant ). Her agent, however, politely extricated himself.
Gee, Maggie. My Animal Life. Telegram Books, 2010.
182
Literary responses Jackie Kay
Bernardine Evaristo began her Guardian review by asserting that this collection ranks among the best of the genre.
Evaristo, Bernardine. “Short Stories. Reality, Reality”. The Guardian, 12 May 2012, p. Review 11.
Review 11
When the book went into paperback she added that Kay does something radical in foregrounding...
Literary responses Toni Morrison
Bernardine Evaristo , likening this novel to The Bluest Eye for its tackling of the topic of shadism, the inter-black prejudice against darker skin tones, judged that Morrison's writing is still as fresh, adventurous and...
Performance of text Alison Fell
Mapping the Edge, a play collaboratively written by AF , Amanda Dalton , and Bernardine Evaristo for the SheffieldCrucible Theatre , opened there for the first time.
British Council Film and Literature Department, in association with Book Trust. Contemporary Writers in the UK. http://www.contemporarywriters.com.
Textual Features Jean Binta Breeze
Marshell describes her work as having strong political dimension.
Marshall, Emily. “Writing the Woman’s Voice: On the Verandah with Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze”. Contemporary Women’s Writing, Vol.
12
, No. 1, Mar. 2018, pp. 1-10.
Its focus is on the lower-class working woman, about whom, Bernardine Evaristo notes, JBB writes with passion and empathy.
Evaristo, Bernardine. “Third World Girl, by Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze”. The Independent, 12 Aug. 2011.
The titular poem is about the...
Textual Production Maggie Gee
MG collaborated with Bernardine Evaristo in editing the annual New Writing Volume Fifteen (NW15) for Granta Books in 2007.
Blackwell’s Online Bookshop. http://Bookshop.Blackwell.co.uk.

Timeline

Before mid-September 2004: Melanie Abrahams of literary agency Renaissance...

Writing climate item

Before mid-September 2004

Melanie Abrahams of literary agency Renaissance One organised a group photo of people of Afro, Caribbean, or Asian origin who make a significant contribution to contemporary British literature.
Levy, Andrea. “Made in Britain”. The Guardian, 18 Sept. 2004, pp. Review 34 - 5.
Review 34-5

16 April 2015: A report on diversity in British book publishing,...

Writing climate item

16 April 2015

A report on diversity in British book publishing, Writing the Future (authored by Danuta Kean for Bernardine Evaristo 's agency Spread the Word ), was launched at the London Book Fair .
Flood, Alison. “Publishers accused of losing plot on race”. The Guardian, 16 Apr. 2015, p. 3.
(16 April 2015): 3

Texts

Evaristo, Bernardine. “A Matter of Timing”. theguardian.com.
Evaristo, Bernardine. Bernardine Evaristo, Writer. http://bevaristo.com/.
Evaristo, Bernardine. Black Britain: Writing Back. Penguin, https://www.penguin.co.uk/series/bbwb/black-britain--writing-back.html.
Evaristo, Bernardine. Blonde Roots. London, 2008.
Evaristo, Bernardine. Girl, Woman, Other. Dialogue Books, 2019.
Evaristo, Bernardine. Hello Mum. Penguin, 2010.
Evaristo, Bernardine. Lara. Angela Royal Publishing, 1997.
Evaristo, Bernardine. Lara. New Edition, Bloodaxe Books, 2009.
Evaristo, Bernardine. “Monologue. The Unthinkable”. Mslexia, No. 78, pp. 46-7.
Evaristo, Bernardine. Mr Loverman. Penguin, 2013.
Evaristo, Bernardine. “On Sweet Honey in the Rock: ’They encapsulate the early years of black feminism’”. New Statesman.
Evaristo, Bernardine. “Reality, Reality by Jackie Kay — review”. The Guardian, p. Review 11.
Evaristo, Bernardine. “She’s not exactly Sweetness and light”. The Observer, p. 39.
Evaristo, Bernardine. “Short Stories. Reality, Reality”. The Guardian, p. Review 11.
Evaristo, Bernardine. Soul Tourists. Penguin, 2006.
Evaristo, Bernardine. “The book that made me cry? I’m as tough as old boots”. theguardian.com.
Evaristo, Bernardine. The Emperor’s Babe. Penguin, 2002.
Evaristo, Bernardine. “Third World Girl, by Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze”. The Independent.