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The Housing Lark

Penguin Modern Classics

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The Housing Lark

By: Sam Selvon
Narrated by: Don Gilet
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Sitting in his cramped basement room in Brixton, Battersby dreams of money, women, a T-bone steak - and a place to call his own. So he and a group of friends decide to save up and buy a house together. But amid grasping landlords, the temptations of spending money and the less-than-welcoming attitude of the Mother Country, can this motley group of hustlers and schemers, Trinidadians and Jamaicans, men and women make their dreams a reality?

'Irreverent, spirited ... a seriously funny novel' New York Review of Books

'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' Caryl Phillips

© Sam Selvon 1965 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

 Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Dream

Critic reviews

A unique and wonderful novel, comic and serious, cynical and tender-hearted ... With its surprisingly happy ending and irreverent, spirited wit, The Housing Lark goes against the grain of much postcolonial literature ... Funny, serious, innovative, multilingual, musical, The Housing Lark shows how literary expression can create community across race, gender, place, and time (Dohra Ahmad)
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 ... The Housing Lark is a a fine, and unfairly neglected, companion novel to The Lonely Londoners (Caryl Phillips)
A vibrant comic classic ... perfectly observed
The Housing Lark is both spry and strikingly resonant ... Ultimately, as much as its lovable characters and its caper-strewn quest, what makes The Housing Lark so special are the music and melodies of Selvon's prose.
Sam Selvon is known for The Lonely Londoners. But it is The Housing Lark in which his brilliance truly shines.
Funny, subversive and lyrical ... Selvon's garrulous comically-gifted narrator feels like a friend, spinning surreal yet familiar tales in a late-night drinking den. Yet his stories have a sharp edge. The dark side of the Windrush experience lurks between the laughs and this deeply enjoyable book hides serious literary intent.
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Most relevant
This was a short but punchy insight into wind rush immigrants living and renting in London. The performance was flawless. It was amazing to hear the actor depict the accents of each islander. Very impressive. The ending was somewhat sudden, but an entertaining take all the same.

Marvellous insight into windrush friends

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Loved the story, loved the performance, loved the picture Sam Selvon drew or contemporary London/Britain in 50s/60s - the people British & from the West Indies, the differentiations between Islanders and men & women, adults & children. Fantastically performed. A treat for the ears. And a great sense of nostalgia looking back from the first quarter of 21st century Britain

Wonderful sense of mid 20th century London

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humourius characters based on reality of British life for Westindians. keeps you interested to the end

enjoyable reading

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It's a great little story with twists and turns and is well performed. I would love to see this produced as TV mini series.

Tantalising & enjoyable

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