The Death of a Black Man - (Modern Plays) by Alfred Fagon (Paperback)

About the Book

"It's 1973 and the West Indies have spectacularly beaten England at their own game, in their own backyard. Shakie, an 18-year-old super-savvy wheeler-dealer, is in his element--and not just because of the cricket. Life is good: his furniture business is making serious money and he owns a flat on the King's Road, the epicentre of everything that's cool. Moreover, his best friend Stumpie has come up with a plan to crack the booming music industry together--the possibilities are endless--so when Shakie's ex-lover Jackie arrives at the Chelsea flat, the trio toast the future. The champagne is flowing and ambition is running sky high - but how far will they go, and who will they sacrifice, in their quest to be rich beyond their wildest dreams?"--Publisher's description.

Book Synopsis

At least I am my own boss. No regrets. I choose what I do. I am lucky

It's 1973 and the West Indies have spectacularly beaten England at their own game, in their own backyard.

Shakie, an 18-year-old super-savvy wheeler-dealer, is in his element - and not just because of the cricket. Life is good: his furniture business is making serious money and he owns a flat on the King's Road, the epicentre of everything that's cool. Moreover, his best friend Stumpie has come up with a plan to crack the booming music industry together - the possibilities are endless so when Shakie's ex-lover Jackie arrives at the Chelsea flat, the trio toast the future.

The champagne is flowing and ambition is running sky high - but how far will they go, and who will they sacrifice, in their quest to be rich beyond their wildest dreams?

The Death of a Black Man received its world premiere at Hampstead Theatre in 1975. This new edition is published to coincide with its return to Hampstead Theatre, 46 years on, in May 2021.

Review Quotes

"A difficult - because painful - exploration of West Indian identity in white capitalist society." --Financial Times on the original production

"Fagon's writing is sharp, funny, unpretentious... (his) view of the black predicament is complex, thoughtful and compassionate" --Time Out, on the original production

About the Author

Alfred Fagon was born on 25 June, 1937 in Clarendon, Jamaica into a large and close family of eight brothers and two sisters. He left school at thirteen and worked with his father as a cultivator on their orange plantation. In 1955 he came to Nottingham in England and worked for British Rail amongst other jobs, and in 1958 joined the Royal Corps of Signals where he became Middleweight Boxing Champion in 1962, the year he left the Army. He went to live in Bristol where he trained and then worked as a welder. He started working as an actor and in 1970 he came to London to play in Mustapha Matura's 'Black Pieces' at the ICA the first of many roles, not just in the theatre but in television, film and radio. Alfred's final acting role in BBC Television's Fighting Back with Hazel O'Connor was filmed in St Paul's, Bristol. Alfred Fagon died of a heart attack on 29 August, 1986 at the age of forty-nine. The Alfred Fagon Award was established by his agent, Harriet Cruickshank.