A Wreath for Udomo

Introduced by Petina Gappah, a lost classic by a radical black South African author: as exiled African activists in post-war London plot to revolutionise their native countries, idealism and tragedy collide when they return home as political leaders …

Those men who are history now; did they feel like this?

A 1950s Hampstead pub; a freezing night. Lois can’t tear her eyes away from the haunted, restless African man in the corner. Over brandy and stew, she discovers he is in awe of her friend, Panafrica’s greatest political writer and fighter. Their meeting inducts this stranger, Udomo, into London’s revolutionary community of exiled African activists: the start of a life-changing journey. Amidst the internal politics and love affairs, Udomo is inspired by other leaders’ independence uprisings; but when he returns to his native land to overthrow the colonial oppressors, his idealism is put to the ultimate test …

Inspired by Peter Abrahams’ befriending of future African heads of state in mid-century London, A Wreath for Udomo (1956) is a radical lost classic, unforgettably exploring the nature of freedom, power, leadership and love.

‘The forerunner of an entire school of African literary art.’ Sunday Times